COVID-19 cases detected among fishmongers in at least 11 markets
File photo of a stall selling fish at a wet market in Singapore. (Photo: Calvin Oh)
SINGAPORE: COVID-19 cases have been detected among fishmongers working in at least 11 markets across Singapore.
In its nightly coronavirus update, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the fishmongers were likely to have been infected through contact with stallholders at Jurong Fishery Port.
"We have uncovered clusters involving markets and food centres. These clusters are likely seeded by fishmongers who visited the Jurong Fishery Port to collect their stock and sell at the markets," said MOH.
Positive COVID-19 cases have been detected among fishmongers at the following locations: Amoy Street Food Centre, Chong Pang Market & Food Centre, Whampoa Wet Market, Telok Blangah Crescent Block 11, Taman Jurong Market, Redhill Market, Geylang Serai Market, Geylang Bahru Market, 527 Ang Mo Kio Market, 726 West Coast Wet Market and Bukit Timah Wet Market.
Most of the positive cases were tested using antigen rapid tests (ART) and are being confirmed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, said MOH.
MOH earlier announced that fishmongers from all markets will be tested for COVID-19 and given test kits to monitor themselves with.
There are so far 19 cases linked to the Hong Lim Market & Food Centre and Jurong Fishery Port cluster. MOH said on Friday that both premises will be closed to all members of the public from Jul 17 to Jul 31 to facilitate deep cleaning.
READ: Fishmongers from all markets to be tested for COVID-19, says MOH
Owing to the risk of transmission to other markets and food centres, "aggressive" contact tracing, quarantine and testing will be conducted to ringfence the cases and prevent further spread, MOH said.
Fishmongers from all markets will receive an SMS on Sunday and will be required under the law to to get tested at designated testing centres and self-isolate until they receive a negative result from their first PCR test.
They will be issued with self-test ART kits and are required to self-administer an ART test on the seventh day from the last exposure. They will also be required to undergo another PCR test at designated testing centres around the 14th day from their date of last known exposure.
Two cases who work in or visited Chong Boon Market & Food Centre (453A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10) are now being investigated, with three more cases pending confirmation.
"To break the chain of transmission and enable deep cleaning of the premises, Chong Boon Market & Food Centre will be closed to all members of the public from Jul 18 to Aug 1," said MOH.
Singapore reported 60 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Saturday (Jul 17), with the KTV cluster swelling to 148 cases.
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