SINGAPORE, 11 May 2020:
Selected areas of the Singapore Racecourse at Kranji will be temporarily converted into Community Recovery Facilities (CRFs) for foreign workers recovering from Covid-19 infection.
The areas include the multi-storey carpark and car park B at the racecourse and the sheltered arena at Singapore Turf Club riding centre.
These selected areas are demarcated as restricted zones with no access to the public, Singapore Turf Club said in its website today.
The club said the construction and building works of the CRFs at the two areas are scheduled to be completed by end May 2020.
“The works will be carried out based on approved protocols and procedures by government agencies, ensuring the safety and health of the workers and the equine facilities.”
The CRFs are an integral part of Singapore’s medical strategy to deploy medical resources optimally and prevent its healthcare system from being overwhelmed. It will allow patients who are clinically stable to recover from Covid-19.
Tote Board and Singapore Turf Club are working with government agencies for the conversion.
In line with the republic’s tighter circuit breaker measure, the Club had announced that all Singapore race meetings will continue to be suspended until June 1.
Singapore’s infection tally currently stands at 23, 822, up 486 today, with foreign workers at dorms dominating about 90% of the cases. Having announced 504 discharged cases of Covid-19 today, it reported another death involving the elderly, bringing the number of fatalities to 21.
The republic’s Ministry of Health (MoH) said the latest death case involved a 68 year-old male Singaporean who died on May 11 at the National University Hospital. Identified as Case 1305, the elderly was confirmed to have Covid-19 infection on April 5, and had a history of hypertension and hyperlipidaemia.
Singapore reported its first two Covid-19 deaths on March 21. Meanwhile, Case 23550, a 53 year-old Indian national, died on May 9, but was confirmed to have Covid-19 infection on May 10 after his demise.
The ministry said the man was taken to the emergency department at Sengkang General Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest on May 9. The cause of death is ruptured myocardial infarction due to coronary thrombosis, it said.
MoH said only cases where the attending doctor or pathologist attributes the primary or underlying cause of death as due to Covid-19 infection will be added to the Covid-19 death count. “This is consistent with international practice for classifying deaths.”
At present, 3,225 have fully recovered from the infection here and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.
There are currently 1,093 confirmed cases who are still in hospital with most reported to be stable or improving, while 24 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Meanwhile, 19,448 cases with mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.
Of the 486 cases today, no imported cases were reported, three cases were among the community (, two work permit holders residing outside dorms and 481 foreign workers in dorms.
Positive Covid-19 cases in Indonesia continue to rise to 14,265 cases, with death tolls now at 991.
Indonesian government spokesman on Covid-19, Achmad Yurianto said another 18 deaths occurred within 24 hours.
“For the period noon yesterday to noon today, 233 new cases were added, making the positive case increase to 14,265 cases.”
The province of Jakarta recorded the highest number of deaths, namely 441 cases, followed by East Java (149), Central Java (95) and the rest in other regions in Indonesia.
Thailand has reported six new Covid-19 cases, including a six-year-old boy and zero fatalities – bringing the total to 3,015 cases with the death toll remaining at 56.
Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration spokesman Thaweesilp Wissanuyothin said all cases are in southern provinces including four cases were from the tourist island of Phuket.
“A 6-year-old boy from Narathiwat was tested positive for Covid-19 after his father was diagnosed with the deadly virus while another new case involves a 22-year-old man from Yala who was detected in active Covid-19 case finding in the province,” he said in the daily briefing.
Of 3,015 Covid-19 cases reported in Thailand, a total of 2,796 patients have recovered and returned home.
On second phase of easing restrictions, Thaweesilp said among businesses and venues that are listed to reopen including shopping malls (exclude theater, bowling alleys and amulets shops) , restaurants and food courts in buildings, retail and wholesale shops.
Besides that, he said beauty clinics and nail salons, sports and recreation venues including open air stadiums (closed-door competition and matches without spectators), museums, public library and massage parlour (only foot massage) are among listed to resume business.
“It is a draft and the list could change. We reveal the list in advance to enable operators to make the necessary preparations.
“Prime minister general Prayuth Chan o-cha will chair a meeting to finalise businesses and venues which will be reopened in the second phase of restriction ease on May 15.”
On May 3, six types of businesses and venues nationwide have been reopened with guidelines to avoid a second wave of Covid-19 infection.They are markets, eateries outside shopping malls, wholesale and retail businesses, parks and outdoor sports facilities, barbershops and hair salons (limited to cut, shampoo and blow) and pet grooming and pet hotels.
Thaweesilp said the relevant authorities have conducted thorough checks at 18,000 premises including restaurants and cafés, hair salons and barbershops, supermarkets in malls, parks and golf courses and found 449 of them failed to meet the health safety guidelines.
– Bernama