SINGAPORE — All visits to residential care homes serving seniors will be temporarily suspended from Saturday (June 5) until June 20 to “reduce the risk of importing Covid-19 into such settings and the risk of cross-transmission”, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday.

The move comes after a healthcare assistant at Grace Lodge nursing home in Sengkang was confirmed to be infected with Covid-19 on Wednesday. 

A new cluster also emerged this week at the Mindsville@Napiri home in Hougang, which houses people with intellectual disability. The cluster grew to 27 cases on Thursday.

The cluster comprises four nursing aides and 23 residents at the home, most of them already vaccinated against Covid-19.

In April last year, a Covid-19 cluster emerged at the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home when 11 cases were linked to the nursing home in Thomson. 

Two days later, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that Singapore would put in place circuit breaker measures to restrict movement and stop non-essential activities to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

MOH said on Friday that it will be conducting a review of policies surrounding visitor management and testing at residential care homes for elders.

“We will work with the homes on strengthening precautionary measures within homes, to assist homes in resuming physical visitations safely,” it added.