COVID-19 cases in Singapore must bee reduced to single digits before the circuit breaker is lifted.
Lifting of the circuit breaker in Singapore
On Monday, Singapore’s Health Minister Gan Kim Yong announced the possibility of lifting the lockdown in the country when daily positive cases arrive at zero or single digits at the minimum.
The decrease in cases is not limited to Singaporean communities but as well as those from the dormitories where migrant workers are housed at. Gan, noted that cases involving migrant workers could take a while to subside, due to being clumped in the dormitories they are confined in.
Recalling, the rise in positive cases of COVID-19 in Singapore that led to the circuit breaker came from groups of migrant workers residing in dormitories. The focus of Singapore’s government was on foreign entries in the country, wherein migrant workers were less monitored and allowed to work continuously.
During the first week of April, positive cases in Singapore ballooned outright when swab testings were conducted on dormitories where migrant workers are staying.
Testing Kits
When everyone else thinks that Singapore has already flattened the curve, they became complacent and had businesses operating as usual. The labor force consisted of migrant workers who are still working at the peak of the global pandemic.
The first cluster of positive cases in a dormitory of migrant workers was recorded on March 30, since then, positive cases in the country continuously rises. The reason a lockdown “circuit breaker” was initiated by the government to quickly control the sudden outbreak.
As of posting, the daily positive cases in Singapore is still at three digits and mostly attributed from testings made on dormitories where other workers have resided.
The testing capacity of Singapore is quite impressive. Nonetheless, they are able to conduct 8,000 Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) rapid testing daily, which can go up to 40,000 with the help of other private institutions. The Health Minister explains:
Testing is crucial in isolating cases, cases that might spread the virus to clean communities. The faster they get tested, the faster we can contain the transmission.
