Stricter 14-day stay-home notice for those returning from China will take effect from 18 February 2020, 23:59 hours
By Timothy Goh, The Straits Times, 18 Feb 2020
A mandatory stay-home notice will be introduced for Singapore residents and long-term pass holders returning from China: They have to remain at home at all times for 14 days.
The notice is stricter than the current leave of absence (LOA) requirements, which allow those under LOA to leave their homes briefly, for example, to get meals or to buy household supplies.
The "stay-home notice" scheme will take effect at 11.59pm, 18 February, and will apply to all returnees with recent travel history to China, outside of Hubei province, within the last 14 days.
LOAs for those with recent travel history to China, outside of Hubei province, will no longer be issued.
But those currently on LOAs will continue to serve them out.
In announcing the scheme, Minster for National Development Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force on the coronavirus with Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, said that while the LOA regime has been useful, the Government is constantly reassessing the situation.
"When we started the LOA in January, there were 4,000 cases outside of Hubei province in China. Now, it has tripled to 12,000," he said, noting that a substantial number of Singapore residents and long-term pass holders remain in China and can be expected to return in the coming weeks.
He added: "We think this is appropriate at this juncture. It will ensure that we reduce the number of imported cases coming back from China, and then we can focus our energies on limiting or reducing the risk of local transmission of the virus within Singapore."
Mr Wong also stressed that the authorities will enforce the requirements strictly.
Yesterday, two more cases were confirmed here, bringing the total to 77. Five more were discharged.
No more LOAs: those on stay-home notice cannot leave at all, MOH to do spot checks
Random calls, spot checks for those on new stay-home notice
Those who flout rules face fine, jail time or could have their long-term passes revoked
By Yuen Sin, The Straits Times, 18 Feb 2020
Enforcement officers will make random calls and do spot checks, among other things, to ensure that those on the new, stricter stay-home notice comply with the requirements.
Foreigners who flout the rules during the mandatory 14-day stay at home on returning from China will face penalties such as having their long-term passes revoked.
Singaporeans, on the other hand, would be prosecuted under the Infectious Diseases Act. First-time offenders can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.
The new measure was announced by National Development Minister Lawrence Wong yesterday, as Singapore reported two new cases, bringing the total infected to 77.
Mr Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry coronavirus task force, said the stay-home notice was prompted by the surge in the number of coronavirus cases in Chinese provinces outside of Hubei province, whose capital Wuhan is the epicentre of the virus outbreak.
The move, he added, "will ensure we reduce the number of imported cases coming back from China, and then we can focus our energies on reducing the risk of local transmission of the virus within Singapore".
China now has 12,000 cases outside Hubei province, a rise from 4,000 at the end of last month, he noted.
The stay-home notice, which takes effect at 11:59pm, 18 February, will apply to Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term pass holders.
As for the existing 14-day leave of absence, it will no longer be issued to those with recent travel history to China, outside of Hubei.
Unlike the new notice, it is less stringent, letting those serving it to leave their homes briefly, say, to buy meals or household supplies.
But under the stay-home notice, people cannot leave their homes.
Support, however, will be available for those who need help to get daily necessities, said the Ministry of Health.
Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term visit pass holders can turn to the People's Association for help, while students can approach their schools or institutions, or the Education Ministry.
Work-pass holders can seek help from their employers or the Manpower Ministry.
The Government will also give employers $100 for each day a worker is serving the notice. The self-employed are eligible for it too. But the allowance is not for those who can telecommute.
Mr Wong said those on the stay-home notice will be free to decide what they want to do at home, but they are discouraged from having visitors.
Their family members are urged to take precautions, such as practising good hygiene practices and social distancing.
On the other hand, those under home quarantine are required to isolate themselves and cannot interact physically with others living under the same roof.
As of yesterday, there were about 1,200 people under quarantine, with 600 at home and the rest in government quarantine facilities. The capacity of these facilities has doubled to 2,000, from a week ago.
Additional reporting by Rei Kurohi
By Timothy Goh, The Straits Times, 18 Feb 2020
The notice is stricter than the current leave of absence (LOA) requirements, which allow those under LOA to leave their homes briefly, for example, to get meals or to buy household supplies.
The "stay-home notice" scheme will take effect at 11.59pm, 18 February, and will apply to all returnees with recent travel history to China, outside of Hubei province, within the last 14 days.
LOAs for those with recent travel history to China, outside of Hubei province, will no longer be issued.
But those currently on LOAs will continue to serve them out.
In announcing the scheme, Minster for National Development Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force on the coronavirus with Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, said that while the LOA regime has been useful, the Government is constantly reassessing the situation.
"When we started the LOA in January, there were 4,000 cases outside of Hubei province in China. Now, it has tripled to 12,000," he said, noting that a substantial number of Singapore residents and long-term pass holders remain in China and can be expected to return in the coming weeks.
He added: "We think this is appropriate at this juncture. It will ensure that we reduce the number of imported cases coming back from China, and then we can focus our energies on limiting or reducing the risk of local transmission of the virus within Singapore."
Mr Wong also stressed that the authorities will enforce the requirements strictly.
Yesterday, two more cases were confirmed here, bringing the total to 77. Five more were discharged.
No more LOAs: those on stay-home notice cannot leave at all, MOH to do spot checks
Random calls, spot checks for those on new stay-home notice
Those who flout rules face fine, jail time or could have their long-term passes revoked
By Yuen Sin, The Straits Times, 18 Feb 2020
Enforcement officers will make random calls and do spot checks, among other things, to ensure that those on the new, stricter stay-home notice comply with the requirements.
Foreigners who flout the rules during the mandatory 14-day stay at home on returning from China will face penalties such as having their long-term passes revoked.
Singaporeans, on the other hand, would be prosecuted under the Infectious Diseases Act. First-time offenders can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.
The new measure was announced by National Development Minister Lawrence Wong yesterday, as Singapore reported two new cases, bringing the total infected to 77.
Mr Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry coronavirus task force, said the stay-home notice was prompted by the surge in the number of coronavirus cases in Chinese provinces outside of Hubei province, whose capital Wuhan is the epicentre of the virus outbreak.
The move, he added, "will ensure we reduce the number of imported cases coming back from China, and then we can focus our energies on reducing the risk of local transmission of the virus within Singapore".
China now has 12,000 cases outside Hubei province, a rise from 4,000 at the end of last month, he noted.
The stay-home notice, which takes effect at 11:59pm, 18 February, will apply to Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term pass holders.
As for the existing 14-day leave of absence, it will no longer be issued to those with recent travel history to China, outside of Hubei.
Unlike the new notice, it is less stringent, letting those serving it to leave their homes briefly, say, to buy meals or household supplies.
But under the stay-home notice, people cannot leave their homes.
Support, however, will be available for those who need help to get daily necessities, said the Ministry of Health.
Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term visit pass holders can turn to the People's Association for help, while students can approach their schools or institutions, or the Education Ministry.
Work-pass holders can seek help from their employers or the Manpower Ministry.
The Government will also give employers $100 for each day a worker is serving the notice. The self-employed are eligible for it too. But the allowance is not for those who can telecommute.
Mr Wong said those on the stay-home notice will be free to decide what they want to do at home, but they are discouraged from having visitors.
Their family members are urged to take precautions, such as practising good hygiene practices and social distancing.
On the other hand, those under home quarantine are required to isolate themselves and cannot interact physically with others living under the same roof.
As of yesterday, there were about 1,200 people under quarantine, with 600 at home and the rest in government quarantine facilities. The capacity of these facilities has doubled to 2,000, from a week ago.
Additional reporting by Rei Kurohi
About 400 applications for work pass holders' re-entry into Singapore rejected daily by Ministry of Manpower
By Choo Yun Ting, The Sunday Times, 16 Feb 2020
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has rejected about 400 applications a day for work pass holders with travel history to mainland China to return to Singapore since new measures to help contain the coronavirus outbreak kicked in.
These figures for the first week since the measures took effect on Feb 9 were provided by Manpower Minister Josephine Teo in a Facebook post on Friday. About 200 applications were approved daily during this period, she added.
The ministry said last Saturday all work pass holders with travel history to mainland China within the last 14 days and who plan to enter Singapore must get the approval of MOM before starting their journey.
"The two key reasons for rejecting the applications are the need to stagger workers' return to Singapore, and employers not being able to arrange for accommodation for returning workers to comply with leave of absence (LOA)," Mrs Teo posted.
Priority is given to applicants in essential operations such as healthcare, transport and waste management, she added. "Many employers are already helping by postponing their employees' return."
The ministry is helping employers and workers by linking them up with hotel or dormitory operators where the LOA can be served.
MOM encourages employers to treat the LOA as paid leave, Mrs Teo added. She said more help to tide employers and workers over the coronavirus situation will be announced by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat in his Budget speech this Tuesday.
Last Thursday, MOM said it had revoked the work passes of two workers and suspended their employers' work pass privileges for breaching entry approval requirements after they recently travelled to China. The employers were ordered to repatriate the workers within 24 hours and the two workers have been permanently banned from working here.
By Choo Yun Ting, The Sunday Times, 16 Feb 2020
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has rejected about 400 applications a day for work pass holders with travel history to mainland China to return to Singapore since new measures to help contain the coronavirus outbreak kicked in.
These figures for the first week since the measures took effect on Feb 9 were provided by Manpower Minister Josephine Teo in a Facebook post on Friday. About 200 applications were approved daily during this period, she added.
The ministry said last Saturday all work pass holders with travel history to mainland China within the last 14 days and who plan to enter Singapore must get the approval of MOM before starting their journey.
"The two key reasons for rejecting the applications are the need to stagger workers' return to Singapore, and employers not being able to arrange for accommodation for returning workers to comply with leave of absence (LOA)," Mrs Teo posted.
Priority is given to applicants in essential operations such as healthcare, transport and waste management, she added. "Many employers are already helping by postponing their employees' return."
The ministry is helping employers and workers by linking them up with hotel or dormitory operators where the LOA can be served.
MOM encourages employers to treat the LOA as paid leave, Mrs Teo added. She said more help to tide employers and workers over the coronavirus situation will be announced by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat in his Budget speech this Tuesday.
Last Thursday, MOM said it had revoked the work passes of two workers and suspended their employers' work pass privileges for breaching entry approval requirements after they recently travelled to China. The employers were ordered to repatriate the workers within 24 hours and the two workers have been permanently banned from working here.
Coronavirus: More options to punish those who breach anti-virus orders
By Tham Yuen-C, Senior Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 18 Feb 2020
The law on infectious diseases was updated last week to give the authorities a wider range of options to punish those who breach orders aimed at controlling the spread of the coronavirus.
Various offences under the Infectious Diseases Act (IDA) can now be compounded with the introduction of the Infectious Diseases (Composition of Offences) Regulations 2020, which means people who are guilty of less serious breaches can be fined instead of being charged in court.
The update, announced in the Government Gazette last Tuesday, allows the ministry to calibrate its response to each individual breach, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Health.
Among other things, those who have contact with infected people and do not obey orders to isolate themselves, or behave in ways that can put others at risk of infection, could face composition fines.
People who contravene an order to declare certain places as isolation areas can also be similarly fined.
But the discretion on whether to compound an offence lies with the director of medical services, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, and "offenders who have committed serious breaches of the IDA, including those who deliberately flout quarantine orders, will remain liable for prosecution", said the ministry's spokesman.
The move came ahead of stricter measures, announced yesterday, that require Singapore residents and long-term pass holders with recent travel history to China to stay put at home for 14 days without going out, to curb the spread of the virus which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
The new stay-home notice, which takes effect today at 11.59pm, is more stringent than the existing leave of absence, which lets people leave their homes briefly to, for instance, buy household supplies.
The coronavirus, or Sars-CoV-2, was added to the list of infectious diseases and dangerous infectious diseases under the IDA last month.
The ministry spokesman said the IDA is periodically reviewed and updated to ensure its relevance in preventing and managing infectious diseases, to safeguard the population from the risk of such diseases.
By Tham Yuen-C, Senior Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 18 Feb 2020
The law on infectious diseases was updated last week to give the authorities a wider range of options to punish those who breach orders aimed at controlling the spread of the coronavirus.
Various offences under the Infectious Diseases Act (IDA) can now be compounded with the introduction of the Infectious Diseases (Composition of Offences) Regulations 2020, which means people who are guilty of less serious breaches can be fined instead of being charged in court.
The update, announced in the Government Gazette last Tuesday, allows the ministry to calibrate its response to each individual breach, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Health.
Among other things, those who have contact with infected people and do not obey orders to isolate themselves, or behave in ways that can put others at risk of infection, could face composition fines.
People who contravene an order to declare certain places as isolation areas can also be similarly fined.
But the discretion on whether to compound an offence lies with the director of medical services, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, and "offenders who have committed serious breaches of the IDA, including those who deliberately flout quarantine orders, will remain liable for prosecution", said the ministry's spokesman.
The move came ahead of stricter measures, announced yesterday, that require Singapore residents and long-term pass holders with recent travel history to China to stay put at home for 14 days without going out, to curb the spread of the virus which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
The new stay-home notice, which takes effect today at 11.59pm, is more stringent than the existing leave of absence, which lets people leave their homes briefly to, for instance, buy household supplies.
The coronavirus, or Sars-CoV-2, was added to the list of infectious diseases and dangerous infectious diseases under the IDA last month.
The ministry spokesman said the IDA is periodically reviewed and updated to ensure its relevance in preventing and managing infectious diseases, to safeguard the population from the risk of such diseases.
Coronavirus detection in Singapore 'gold standard' for case detection: Harvard study
Global tally would be 2.8 times higher if all nations had same detection capacity, it says
By Rei Kurohi, The Straits Times, 18 Feb 2020
Singapore's approach to the coronavirus outbreak is the "gold standard" for case detection, according to a new study at Harvard University, with researchers using Singapore as a benchmark for other countries.
The study concluded that the global number of cases of Covid-19, as the disease has been called, would be 2.8 times more than it is currently if every other country had the same detection capacity as Singapore.
"We consider the detection of 18 cases by Feb 4, 2020, in Singapore to be a gold standard of near-perfect detection," wrote four epidemiologists at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The researchers include epidemiology professor Marc Lipsitch, postdoctoral research fellows Aimee Taylor and Pablo Martinez de Salazar Munoz, and research associate Rene Niehus.
"We estimated that detection of exported cases from Wuhan worldwide is 38 per cent as sensitive as it has been in Singapore," they wrote.
Among what the study calls "high surveillance" countries, the number was 40 per cent. The study said detection ability among "low surveillance" countries was just 11 per cent of Singapore's.
High surveillance countries were defined as those that scored the highest on the Global Health Security Index (GHSI), which ranks countries on their disease prevention, detection, reporting and response capabilities, among other things.
The researchers also referred to a previous study from the school which highlighted Singapore as a statistical anomaly when it tried to estimate how many cases each country should have based on travel volume from China.
The researchers had examined aggregated data from a Feb 4 World Health Organisation report on the number of cases imported by travellers with known travel history to China to 191 countries and regions. The study excluded Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
The researchers then used historical data from the International Air Travel Association and other sources to estimate the number of daily air travel passengers from Wuhan, where the virus originated, to locations outside of China.
"Among countries with substantial travel volume, Singapore showed the highest ratio of detected imported cases to daily travel volume, a ratio of one case per five daily travellers," the study's authors wrote.
"Singapore is historically known for exceptionally sensitive detection of cases, for example in Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome), and has had extremely detailed case reporting during the Covid-19 outbreak."
One implication of the latest study is that the virus could have remained undetected after being exported from Wuhan to various locations worldwide before the city was locked down on Jan 23, the authors noted.
The Harvard study was uploaded to a free online health sciences archive called medRxiv last Friday as an unpublished manuscript.
The report is complete, but the website notes that such manuscripts, or preprints, are "preliminary reports of work that have not been peer reviewed" that should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behaviour.
Global tally would be 2.8 times higher if all nations had same detection capacity, it says
By Rei Kurohi, The Straits Times, 18 Feb 2020
Singapore's approach to the coronavirus outbreak is the "gold standard" for case detection, according to a new study at Harvard University, with researchers using Singapore as a benchmark for other countries.
The study concluded that the global number of cases of Covid-19, as the disease has been called, would be 2.8 times more than it is currently if every other country had the same detection capacity as Singapore.
"We consider the detection of 18 cases by Feb 4, 2020, in Singapore to be a gold standard of near-perfect detection," wrote four epidemiologists at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The researchers include epidemiology professor Marc Lipsitch, postdoctoral research fellows Aimee Taylor and Pablo Martinez de Salazar Munoz, and research associate Rene Niehus.
"We estimated that detection of exported cases from Wuhan worldwide is 38 per cent as sensitive as it has been in Singapore," they wrote.
Among what the study calls "high surveillance" countries, the number was 40 per cent. The study said detection ability among "low surveillance" countries was just 11 per cent of Singapore's.
High surveillance countries were defined as those that scored the highest on the Global Health Security Index (GHSI), which ranks countries on their disease prevention, detection, reporting and response capabilities, among other things.
The researchers also referred to a previous study from the school which highlighted Singapore as a statistical anomaly when it tried to estimate how many cases each country should have based on travel volume from China.
The researchers had examined aggregated data from a Feb 4 World Health Organisation report on the number of cases imported by travellers with known travel history to China to 191 countries and regions. The study excluded Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
The researchers then used historical data from the International Air Travel Association and other sources to estimate the number of daily air travel passengers from Wuhan, where the virus originated, to locations outside of China.
"Among countries with substantial travel volume, Singapore showed the highest ratio of detected imported cases to daily travel volume, a ratio of one case per five daily travellers," the study's authors wrote.
"Singapore is historically known for exceptionally sensitive detection of cases, for example in Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome), and has had extremely detailed case reporting during the Covid-19 outbreak."
One implication of the latest study is that the virus could have remained undetected after being exported from Wuhan to various locations worldwide before the city was locked down on Jan 23, the authors noted.
The Harvard study was uploaded to a free online health sciences archive called medRxiv last Friday as an unpublished manuscript.
The report is complete, but the website notes that such manuscripts, or preprints, are "preliminary reports of work that have not been peer reviewed" that should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behaviour.
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