Singapore reports 614 new coronavirus infections, total cases cross 30,000-mark

Singapore on Friday reported 614 new coronavirus cases, mostly foreign workers living in packed dormitories, taking the total number of positive cases in the country to 30,426.

Four of the new cases are either Singapore citizens or permanent residents (foreigners), the majority are foreign workers, said the Health Ministry in its preliminary daily update.

The COVID-19 toll stands at 23 in the city-state after a 73-year-old Singaporean man died due to coronavirus complications on Thursday.

The ministry said it continues to pick up new COVID-19 cases among foreign workers residing in dormitories, including in factory-converted dormitories, because of extensive testing in these premises.

Ninety-nine per cent of the new cases are linked to known clusters. A total of 16,771 patients are isolated and cared for at community facilities as they have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.

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The ministry said 910 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities on Thursday.

In all, 12,117 people have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.

The city-state re-imposed a partial lockdown in early April after it was hit by a second wave of virus infections sparked by foreign workers, many of them Indian nationals.

Singapore will exit its "circuit breaker" period as planned on June 1, with measures to be progressively lifted in three phases from the following day.

Travellers will be allowed to transit through Changi Airport from June 2, with measures in place to ensure that passengers remain in designated facilities in the transit area.

As of Wednesday, 11 coronavirus cases were in a critical condition in the intensive care unit and 954 were hospitalised.

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