2 students at The Learning Lab among latest COVID-19 cases at tuition centres

SINGAPORE: Two students at The Learning Lab (TLL) tuition centre have tested positive for COVID-19 after they were identified as contacts of an earlier confirmed case.

Both students are siblings from the same household and attend lessons on Fridays and Saturdays at The Learning Lab’s outlet at United Square. They last attended a class in person on May 8, a spokesperson for The Learning Lab told CNA on Saturday (May 15).

“They were advised by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to get tested as they were identified as contacts of an earlier confirmed case – believed to be unrelated to TLL – from their school,” the spokesperson added.

READ: Several Wang Learning Centre students to quarantine after sharing class with student from Learning Point COVID-19 cluster

The Learning Lab said it was earlier notified by a parent that her child had tested positive for COVID-19. It subsequently received information that the student’s sibling had also tested positive.

As a precautionary measure, The Learning Lab said it moved the classes at all its centres online "as soon as the first situation came to our attention".

Classes were originally scheduled to move online from May 16, in line with the tightened COVID-19 measures, and were to continue until Jun 15, said The Learning Lab.

The Learning Lab has eight outlets across Singapore, according to its website.

In addition to United Square, the other outlets are located at Marine Parade Central, Tampines Mall, Century Square, Seletar Mall, Rochester Mall, Jem and Choa Chu Kang Centre.

Classrooms at all its centres will be deep cleaned and sanitised this weekend by professional cleaners approved by the National Environment Agency, said The Learning Lab.

The Learning Lab said it remains in contact with MOH and is cooperating with the authorities to assist with contact tracing.

The Learning Lab said it has implemented “strict safety measures” since the outbreak of the pandemic, including thorough cleaning and sanitation of classrooms and facilities, ensuring that all staff members and students keep their masks on, as well as staggered class dismissal timings to prevent intermingling between groups.

“The health and safety of our students remains our top priority, and we are committed to ensure that students stay on track to achieve their learning goals even as we remain vigilant and do our part to combat COVID-19,” it added.

Timeline: How a COVID-19 cluster emerged at Learning Point tuition centre

In an update early on Sunday morning, MOH said a pair of siblings, aged eight and 12, had been linked to the cluster involving a Learning Point tutor.

The boys are students at St Andrew's Junior School and shared the same school bus as another previously confirmed case, a nine-year-old student at the same school. The third boy had attended classes at Learning Point and was confirmed with COVID-19 on May 13. 

READ: 2 new COVID-19 clusters in Singapore, including tuition centre where 5 students test positive

The Learning Lab is the latest tuition and enrichment centre to be hit by COVID-19 cases in recent days.

On Saturday, Wang Learning Centre said that 11 students and a teacher from its East Coast outlet have been required to quarantine after coming into contact with another student who recently tested positive for COVID-19.

The student had attended a class at Wang Learning Centre on May 9, a day after attending a class at Learning Point.

READ: Several students who tested positive for COVID-19 linked to private tutor at tuition centre: MOH

Five COVID-19 cases, all of them students, have been linked to a previous case, a 50-year-old Singaporean woman who works as a tutor at Learning Point tuition centre at Parkway Centre.

All five students had attended the tutor's classes. Among them are students from Kong Hwa School, St Stephen's School and St Andrew's Junior School.

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