Four students and one teacher have tested positive for COVID-19, with the said four students linked to household infections, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a press release on Tuesday (7 Jul).
They are part of the 20 new community COVID-19 cases in Singapore reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on 7 July.
All five of them attend different schools.
According to MOE, the teacher is from Assumption Pathway School whereas the four students tested positive for COVID-19 are from the following schools:
- Bedok View Secondary School
- East Spring Primary School
- Jurong West Primary School
- Jurong West Secondary School
Students Linked to Household Infections
The four students from the four schools are linked to household infections according to MOE.
They were said to be on Home Quarantine Order (HQO) prior to the swabbing as they were identified as close contacts of their household members.
The four students were reportedly well when they last attended school a week ago.
Investigations for the teacher, however, are still ongoing.
LOA for Affected Students and Staff
About 60 students and 10 staff from each of the four schools—Assumption Pathway School, East Spring Primary School, Jurong West Primary School and Jurong West Secondary School—who were in contact with the confirmed cases are required to undergo a 14-day leave of absence by MOE or home quarantine order from the health ministry.
No LOA or HQO was issued to students and staff from Bedok View Secondary School.
Reason being, MOH assessed that the risk of infection for students and staff were low, noting that the student last went to school on 30 June.
Seeks to Assure Parents and Students
Following the incident, MOE said that the affected schools have implemented additional precautions such as thorough cleaning and disinfection of school premises.
These are said to be beyond existing safety management measures to protect the safety of students and staff, minimise the risk of transmission as well as prevent the development of school-based clusters.
MOE said that while it is expected to see such confirmed cases due to a more extensive COVID-19 testing regime, they assured parents and students that they will quickly put in place isolation measures to prevent the risk of further transmission.
"This will prevent transmissions and enable the rest of the school system to continue to function normally," said MOE.
The ministry also seeks to remind all parents, staff and students to exercise personal responsibility. Students should refrain from going to school if they or any adult household member is unwell.
Lead image via Google Maps.
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