Sungei Tengah Lodge declared 4th isolation area after rise in coronavirus cases

FOREIGN worker dormitory Sungei Tengah Lodge has been declared an isolation area for the purpose of preventing the spread or possible outbreak of Covid-19.

This is Singapore's fourth such isolation area under the Infectious Diseases Act, according to a Ministry of Health notification published late Wednesday night in the Government Gazette.

The dormitory's premises under isolation are located at 506 and 512 Old Choa Chu Kang Road.

The notice came into effect at midnight on Thursday, after the Sungei Tengah Lodge cluster added 11 more cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday evening, bringing its total to 29.

Workers at isolation areas are required to be quarantined in their rooms for 14 days.

Sungei Tengah Lodge's website states that it is Singapore's largest purpose-built dormitory, housing up to 25,000 workers in its 10 residential blocks.

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Meanwhile, the third isolation area was gazetted on Monday night, at Toh Guan Dormitory's premises located at 13, 15, 17, 17A, 19 and 19A Toh Guan East.

The Toh Guan Dormitory cluster now has 23 cases after it was linked to five more cases on Wednesday evening. Its four residential blocks have 448 units and can accommodate up to 7,168 workers, according to its website.

The first two isolation areas were declared on Sunday, at S11 Dormitory @ Punggol and Westlite Toh Guan. Close to 20,000 foreign workers - 13,000 at S11 and 6,800 at Westlite - are thus serving their 14-day quarantine orders.

The S11 cluster now has 118 confirmed cases, while Westlite Toh Guan has confirmed 38 cases.

Singapore has seen a surge in cases involving foreign employee dormitories in recent days. Of the 142 new cases reported on Wednesday, 40 are linked to dormitories.

Other clusters at dormitories - Tampines Dormitory, Cochrane Lodge I, Cochrane Lodge II, Kranji Lodge and Sungei Kadut - also had more patients linked to them, adding one to four new cases.

In total, Singapore now has active clusters at nine dormitories.