SINGAPORE: Residents of Block 745 Yishun Street 72 are required to undergo mandatory swab tests after COVID-19 cases were detected there.

The free tests will be conducted from Jun 1 to Jun 2 as a precautionary measure, according to a message to residents shared by Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Faishal Ibrahim. Dr Faishal is a member of parliament for Nee Soon GRC.

In a Facebook post on Monday (May 31), Dr Faishal added that Nee Soon Town Council has done thorough cleaning and disinfection of the common areas at Block 745 and the surrounding blocks.

This is the third public housing block in Singapore to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing for all residents.

Residents of Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 underwent testing on May 21 and May 22 after the Ministry of Health (MOH) said "a few" COVID-19 cases were detected there.

A total of 405 residents and visitors of the block were tested, said MOH on May 23. Eleven COVID-19 cases from at least four different households were identified at the block, with two of the cases picked up through mandatory testing.

All 243 residents of Block 559 Pasir Ris Street 51 were also tested for COVID-19 over May 23 and May 24, after four cases were detected in two households living in the block.

"OBVIOUS CHAINS OF TRANSMISSION"

MOH looks for "obvious chains of transmission" whenever cases in the community are detected, said the ministry's director of medical services Kenneth Mak at a COVID-19 multi-ministry task force press conference on Monday.

"When we pick up several cases that occur within a fixed geographic vicinity, then we have to be concerned that there may be also chains of transmission ... to other people that live in that same area," said Associate Professor Mak when asked about the mandatory testing at Yishun.

"This is the reason why we would then extend and carry out testing operations, in this case, in a housing precinct involving several blocks of flats."

Assoc Prof Mak said the ministry also reinforces its testing by "looking at other data", such as wastewater testing. When wastewater testing indicates that there are people who are still shedding the virus, this raises concerns that they may be infectious to others, he said.

"This creates an urgency for us to launch these testing operations," said Assoc Prof Mak.

"So we look at each cluster on a case by case basis, looking at the circumstances and making the decision whether we want to organise these testing operations. 

"They're not easy to do, but it's important for us to do this aggressively in order to get ahead of the curve, and to try and make sure we get control to prevent further infection occurring to others in the community."

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