Coronavirus: Only 3 community care facilities remain in Singapore – with 36 patients

Workers dismantling structures at the community care facility at Changi Exhibition Centre yesterday. As Covid-19 case numbers fall, some facilities have reverted to their original use while others have been repurposed as temporary accommodation sites for recovered workers. The Singapore Expo will reopen its convention wing for events with up to 250 attendees. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

SINGAPORE — Just three Covid-19 community care facilities continue to operate and there were only 36 patients in all as of yesterday, down from as many as more than 17,000 in May.

In line with the falling numbers, some of the country’s biggest facilities that isolated and treated thousands of patients just months ago are downsizing and going back to their original purpose.

Such facilities house people who tested positive for Covid-19 but have mild symptoms and lower risk factors.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Health told The Straits Times yesterday that as of last Wednesday, the only facilities operating are at D’Resort NTUC, Singapore Expo and Big Box.

Facilities that have been taken off the list include those at Changi Exhibition Centre (CEC), Prince George’s Park Residences at the National University of Singapore, and some of the halls at Singapore Expo.

“A few sites have returned to their original use while others have been repurposed as temporary accommodation sites for recovered workers,” said the spokesman.

The spokesman added that each facility was designed and built to facilitate rapid scaling up and down, depending on the number of cases of Covid-19 here.

“Should the need arise, MOH can reactivate the various reserve facilities to meet a surge in demand, as well as to swiftly deploy the necessary medical service and ancillary manpower needed to support the operations,” said the spokesman.

Yesterday, ST visited the CEC and saw most of the facility was empty and fenced up with large canvas sheets. Members of the public were not allowed to enter, and around 10 construction workers could be seen at work, with some operating machinery like forklifts.

Tomorrow, the venue will see the start of a three-day Industrial Transformation Asia Pacific 2020 exhibition, where speakers and guests will participate in discussions in person and virtually.

Singapore Expo said since it was repurposed as a care facility, it had implemented safe management measures, including stringent sanitation and hygiene standards.

It is also inviting venue and event inquiries for its convention wing, which will reopen for events with up to 250 attendees.

Singapore reported seven new coronavirus cases yesterday, taking the country’s total to 57,911.

As of yesterday, 40 cases remain hospitalized.

Globally, the virus outbreak, which began in December last year, has infected more than 39.6 million people. More than 1.11 million people have died.