Singapore saw 24 out of 32 new cases being imported yesterday (Mar 19), and over the past week, 8 out of 10 confirmed cases are imported.
The total of 345 cases today is a 300% increase since the first 100 case at the start of March. Unfortunately, the Singapore government refused to announce the closing of border.
A few schools in Singapore have also been confirmed infected, and the government only close them for a few days of disinfection cleaning. There is still no plan for school closures, despite calls from the public.
Every imported case has the average risk to spread to 2.2 to 2.5 persons in public, according to research from NUS. The imported cases picked up in Singapore are those who are exhibiting symptoms like fever and cough, while those who have yet showed symptoms are in the local community.
The 14 days stay-home notice for the arrivals is flawed, as it heighten the risk of community spread in public. There have been numerous cases of infected victims seeking help from public clinics at least 4 times before being finally admitted into hospitals for testing, and in this process, unknown strangers are being infected.
Singapore’s severe shortage of face mask is also a multiplying factor behind the acute surge in confirmed cases, as unprotected strangers catch the germ from the asymptomatic infected.