Next time you are at the local market, be careful not to touch the fruits and vegetables with bare hands and maskless! As the findings of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) study on the market cluster has revealed that the above reasons could have led to COVID-19 spread.
The study was conducted on the cluster with a total of 94 cases. Here are the findings of the study.
Touching Fruits And Vegetables With Bare Hands Can Lead To COVID-19 Spread
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Those who contracted coronavirus at Hawker Centre and Bukit Merah View Market had typically three things in common.
- They were not vaccinated.
- Did not wear their masks properly
- Touched vegetables and fruits with their bare hands.
This massive COVID-19 spread in the cluster prompted all the 182 market stalls to be closed for two weeks. It was one of the largest clusters in Singapore for some time, with small clusters, subsequently emerging in neighbouring blocks. In fact, the Ministry of Health also conducted multiple rounds of testings to get the situation under control.
As part of the study, researchers used the following strategy:
- Professor Matthias Toh said that researchers first interviewed people affected by the market’s closure, including stallholders and customers.
- They then zoomed in on the market outbreak due to the large number of senior citizens who frequented the area. In fact, seniors comprised almost half of the Covid-19 cases in the four clusters in Bukit Merah and Redhill. It further raised concerns about the risk of severe illness among older patients in the ageing estate. Especially those who were not vaccinated.
Those who spent less time in the market were obviously less likely to be infected. Professor Leo Yee Sin, said, “If you spend time in the epicentre, of course, the chances of you getting infected will be higher.”
Suggestions To Control COVID-19 Spread In Singaporean Markets
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- The findings of the study suggested that stallholders might want to consider pre-packaging their produce.
- Prof Toh added that people who are patronising the stalls can carry their own hand sanitisers and also sanitiser their hands before touching the fruit and vegetables.
- Following this, they can again clean their hands again. It will protect not only themselves but also the entire community.
- People wearing reusable and non-surgical masks should wash them regularly.
- The researcher further mentioned that the same habits need to be followed in supermarkets as well, where people also tend to pick over fresh produce.
The study concluded by stating that items that people want to touch are those that can be the source of transmission.
Govt Urges People To Limit Social Gatherings
Singapore was reeling under massive cluster outbreaks until a few months ago. Even though the situation has improved marginally, the government is still concerned about a spike in new cases.
People have been urged to limit social gatherings and to conduct regular self-tests to avoid COVID-19 spread.
Employers are also asked to put in place a maximum work-from-home requirement over a 14-day period if one or more of their workers are found to have contracted Covid-19 and returned to their workplace. The Ministry stressed that this meant that everyone in the company can work from home will be required to do so.
In addition to this, people who are working from home should minimise social gatherings and leave their homes only for “essential activities” during this above mentioned time period.
As the country limps back to normalcy and the economy opens up, it is important that we don’t let our guards down. Mask up, sanitise your hands, get vaccinated and don’t pay heed to rumours!
News source: The Strait Times
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