TraceTogether check-in to be mandatory at markets, food centres; 28 such venues linked to Jurong Fishery Port cluster

[The_King]

SINGAPORE - Visitors to wet markets and hawker centres will be required to check in with their TraceTogether app or token as part of tighter measures to stem Covid-19 infection, which has so far spread to 28 markets and food centres.

The cases at those places, linked to the Jurong Fishery Port cluster, continue to rise, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung in a virtual press conference on Tuesday (July 20).

The MOH preliminarily confirmed 182 new cases of locally transmitted Covid-19 infection, of which 135 are linked to the Jurong Fishery Port cluster and 12 to the KTV cluster, in the afternoon on Tuesday (July 20).

"So slightly higher than yesterday. So that's the not-so-good part," Mr Ong said.

The silver lining, however, is that the rate of growth has slowed, and that a higher proportion of new cases would have been isolated before detection, he added.

In the coming weeks, TraceTogether-only SafeEntry and SafeEntry Gateway check-in requirements will be rolled out at all wet markets and hawker centres islandwide to help in contact tracing, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday.

 

 

 

The MOH urged all members of the public to comply with the check-in requirements and to carry their TraceTogether token or keep their TraceTogether app active to facilitate contact tracing.

Explaining the move, MOH said: "Wet markets and hawker centres are places frequently visited by members of the community and are also where many seniors tend to congregate.

"The potential for transmission is high given the close proximity between individuals or mask-off activities, as evidenced by the recent clusters detected at these settings."

Thus, there is a need to facilitate quicker contact tracing efforts so that potential transmission at these settings can be curbed, said MOH.

MOH had announced on Sunday that the National Environment Agency and the town councils will progressively implement access control with interim fencing and mandatory SafeEntry check-in at markets where Covid-19 cases have been detected.

Among the markets and food centres affected are Hong Lim Market and Food Centre, Chong Boon Market and Food Centre, Amoy Street Food Centre, Chong Pang Market and Food Centre, Whampoa Wet Market, Telok Blangah Crescent Block 11, Taman Jurong Market, Redhill Market, Geylang Serai Malay Market, Geylang Bahru Market, 527 Ang Mo Kio Market, 726 West Coast Wet Market, and Bukit Timah Wet Market.