Singapore reports 35 new COVID-19 cases, all imported; highest since Mar 28

SINGAPORE: Thirty-five new COVID-19 cases were reported in Singapore as of noon on Sunday (Jan 3), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its preliminary daily update.

No new cases were found in the community and in foreign workers' dormitories.

All cases were imported and all were placed on stay-home notice or isolated upon their arrival in Singapore, said the ministry. 

This is the highest daily number of imported cases in Singapore since Mar 28. 

Among the 35 imported cases were six Singaporeans or permanent residents and seven foreign domestic workers. 

Details of the new cases will be released on Monday night, MOH said. 

READ: Police investigating 44 people for breaching COVID-19 rules over Boon Lay gathering on New Year's Day

READ: 2 COVID-19 cases in marine sector may have breached safety measures; action taken against employer

COVID-19 TESTING STEPPED UP FOR MARITIME SECTOR

Singapore said on Saturday it will tighten the COVID-19 testing regime for more than 20,000 shore-based workers in the maritime sector.

These workers will have to take a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test between Jan 2 and 8 before they are allowed to board ships for work. 

They will also have to undergo rostered routine testing every seven days instead of 14 days.

The authorities said they are also investigating if two marine sector employees who recently tested positive for COVID-19 had breached safe management measures at work. 

The two employees are the marine surveyor at Lloyd's Register Singapore who tested positive on Dec 29, and the marine service engineer at Master Systems Marine who tested positive on Nov 26.

The marine surveyor is among four people in a new cluster involving two Raffles Girls' School students, while the marine service engineer had dinner with 12 family members at a Seoul Garden outlet days before he tested positive.

As of Sunday, Singapore has reported a total of 58,697 COVID-19 cases and 29 fatalities from the disease. 

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story said that the number of new imported cases is the highest since the start of the pandemic. This is incorrect. It is the highest since Mar 28. We apologise for the error.

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