Singapore reports 347 new coronavirus cases, tally reaches 46,630

Singapore on Tuesday reported 347 new coronavirus infections, including seven community and two imported cases, taking the total tally to 46,630, the health ministry said.

Singapore on Tuesday reported 347 new coronavirus infections, including seven community and two imported cases, taking the total tally to 46,630, the health ministry said. Most of the new cases are foreign workers living in dormitories, it said.

Of the seven community cases, one is a Singaporean citizen and six are foreigners holding work passes. The two imported patients have been placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore, the ministry said. With the detection of the 347 new cases, Singapore's COVID-19 tally now stands at 46,630. The virus has so far claimed 26 lives in the country.

The ministry has ordered a company to shut its premises for 14 days after three coronavirus cases were detected in the firm, which was also found to have breached safe management and social distancing measures. The Mini Environment Service at 120 Lower Delta Road has been directed to keep the workplace closed for two weeks, from July 13 to 26, health officials said.

The closure will allow the company to review and tighten its safety management measures, they said. The health ministry said it has so far tested over 215,000 foreign workers, which constitute two-thirds of those living in dormitories.

"Work is going on to prepare these dormitories to be declared cleared, and for workers to resume work. We are on track to clear about 80 percent of workers staying in the dormitories by July-end, and to complete the testing of dormitory residents around mid-August," the ministry said. In the next few days, there will be a larger population of migrant workers in various purpose-built dormitories completing their isolation period and being tested for COVID-19, it said. "As some of them came from dormitories with a higher prevalence of COVID-19 infection, we can expect a higher number of confirmed cases in the next few days from this group of migrant workers," the ministry was quoted as saying by the Channel News Asia.

Meanwhile, Singapore and Malaysia announced on Tuesday that cross-border travel would be resumed on long-term passes on August 10, subject to COVID-19 precautionary measures. Both the countries have agreed to implement two schemes – the Reciprocal Green Lane and Periodic Commuting Arrangement​​​​​​​ – that target different groups of travelers.

The Reciprocal Green Lane will allow travel between Singapore and Malaysia for "essential business and official purposes". The Periodic Commuting Arrangement will allow Singapore and Malaysia residents, who hold long-term immigration passes for business and work purposes in the other country, to enter that nation.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was estimated that about 300,000 Malaysians traveled across the Woodlands Causeway and Tuas Second Link every day for work in Singapore. Several months of COVID-19 restrictions and workplace closures have battered Singapore's construction, retail, and tourism sectors, with little sign of the pain abating, the report said.