Singapore reports 618 new coronavirus cases; total infections at 12,693

Singapore on Saturday reported 618 new cases of the novel coronavirus, taking the total number of infections to 12,693 with 12 deaths in the country.

A majority of the new cases -- 597 -- are among the work permit holders residing in dormitories for foreign workers, including Indian nationals, who work in the labour-intensive construction sector.

Another 12 are work permit holders living outside of dormitories, said the Health Ministry.

Seven of the cases are Singaporeans (citizens) or permanent residents (foreigners) with two on work passes or long-term visit passes (foreigners).

The Northpoint City shopping mall has been declared a virus cluster, taking the total count to seven. A cluster is considered a place which spreads the killer disease.

Thousands of people across the island-nation on Saturday sang and cheered essential service providers and migrant workers, reported The Straits Times.

Singing residents waved torchlights at their windows and balconies, largely from the public housing estates mostly built by foreign workers as it has been widely acknowledged here.

The cheering and applause was broadcast on SPH Radio, Mediacorp TV channels and social media platforms in the evening.

The performance was led by local composer Dick Lee, singers Rahimah Rahim, Shabir and Taufik Batisah, a 900-strong choir from non-profit arts group Voices of Singapore, as well as other artists.

Meanwhile, Manpower Minister Josphine Teo explained Singapore's difficult decision to suspend all construction work.

Singapore is currently in a "circuit breaker" period to stem the spread of COVID-19. The period was at first scheduled to end on May 4 but will now last until June 1.

All non-essential work places have been ordered to stay closed and residents are barred from leaving the house except to buy food and groceries or to exercise alone in the neighbourhood, Channel News Asia reported.

In a Facebook post, Teo said, "If we act fast, we're aware there's little time for employers to adjust. If we act too slowly, there is risk of wider transmission.

"This is the difficult trade-off," The Straits Times had the minister saying in the post.

Her explanation comes in the wake of social media posts and text messages that had circulated over the last two days highlighting the frustrations of some employers.

The tighter measures, which kicked in on April 22, mean that migrant workers will not be allowed to step out of all dormitories for any purpose including going to work.

The measures will apply to all companies, even those that had earlier obtained licences to operate.

Stay-home notices have been given to all 1,80,000 construction work permit and S Pass holders and their dependants.

"But without it, they could still be out and about. Should we have avoided this move? Should more time have been given? We will never really know, but time is not on our side.

"Given how quickly and widely the virus spreads, can we afford to wait? If there's anything we have learnt about the virus, taking action sooner is probably better than later," Teo was quoted as saying.

A total of 25 dormitories, housing foreign workers, have been gazetted as isolation areas.

The coronavirus has so far infected more than 2.8 million people and killed nearly 2,00,000 globally. The US is the worst hit with over 51,000 deaths and more than 905,000 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In Singapore, the total number of cases are 12,693 with 12 deaths due to the deadly infection, The Straits Times reported.