12 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, all imported

SINGAPORE: A total of 12 new COVID-19 infections were reported in Singapore as of noon on Monday (Mar 15), all imported cases.

They were placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). 

No new cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infections were reported for a third day running.

Among the new infections, two are Singapore permanent residents who returned from India and Malaysia. 

Two are dependant's pass holders who arrived from Nepal and Switzerland. 

Three are work pass holders who arrived from India, Indonesia and the UAE.

The remaining five cases are work permit holders who arrived from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, of whom three are foreign domestic workers. 

Six more people have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, bringing the number of cases who have fully recovered from COVID-19 to 59,974. 

There are 20 cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and none is in the intensive care unit, MOH said. 

Ninety-three people are isolated and cared for in community facilities. These are people who have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19. 

In a TV interview on Sunday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he hoped Singapore would start reopening its borders by the end of the year as more countries ramp up vaccination drives against COVID-19 infections.

"I hope if that many countries can have substantial proportions of their populations vaccinated by later this year, we will be able to have the confidence and to have developed the systems to open up our international borders to travel safely again," said Mr Lee. 

"Hopefully by the end of this year or next year, the doors can start to open, if not earlier," he added. 

READ: Singapore may reopen borders by year-end, says PM Lee in BBC interview

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed on Sunday that the country is in talks with Australia on a possible travel bubble that will allow residents to travel between both countries without having to quarantine. 

The two countries are also in discussions on the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and resuming travel with priority for students and business travellers, said MFA in response to media queries.

As of Monday, Singapore has reported a total of 60,117 COVID-19 cases and 30 fatalities.

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