14 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, all imported

SINGAPORE: Fourteen new COVID-19 cases were reported in Singapore as of noon on Tuesday (Apr 13), all imported infections. 

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

Among the imported cases, two are permanent residents who returned from India.

Two of the imported infections are dependant's pass holders who arrived from Nepal and Pakistan.

Another four imported cases are student's pass holders who arrived from India, and one is a work pass holder who arrived from Indonesia. 

Two are work permit holders who arrived from India and Indonesia, of whom one is a foreign domestic worker. 

The remaining three cases are short-term visit pass holders who arrived from India and Nigeria to visit their family members who are Singaporeans, said MOH. 

READ: More than 18,200 people visited Singapore through unilateral border openings; 70% from China

The number of new cases in the community has remained stable at two cases a week in the past two weeks, said MOH, adding that unlinked cases have also remained stable at two cases a week in the last two weeks.

Among the 173 confirmed cases reported from Apr 7 to Apr 13, 65 cases have tested positive for their serology tests, 79 have tested negative, while 29 serology test results are pending, the ministry said. 

No new infections were reported in migrant workers' dormitories.

MOH said 17 more COVID-19 cases have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 60,374 have fully recovered from the infection.

A total of 61 confirmed cases are still in hospital, most of whom are stable or improving, with one patient in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Another 227 cases are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These patients have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.

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LOCAL TOURS CAN HAVE UP TO 50 PEOPLE

From Wednesday, local walking, kayaking and cycling tours can take groups of up to 50 people, an increase from the previous limit of 20.

Tours will also no longer be limited to eight hours, said the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), as it announced the easing of restrictions in line with Singapore's loosening of COVID-19 measures.

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Tour participants must be split into sub-groups of no more than eight people each with at least 1m safe distancing. There should also not be any intermingling between sub-groups, said STB. 

Service providers and tour participants are also required to wear face masks at all times.

As of Tuesday, Singapore has reported a total of 60,692 COVID-19 cases and 30 fatalities

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