Covid cluster tied to MBS casino at 63 by Sunday: govt

Aug 09, 2021 Newsdesk Latest News, Singapore, Top of the deck  

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Singapore’s Ministry of Health confirmed on Sunday one new case of Covid-19 associated with a cluster of infection at the casino at the Marina Bay Sands gaming resort (pictured), taking the total to 63.

On Thursday (August 5), when the casino reopened with a two player-per-gaming-table limit – following what the resort’s promoter Marina Bays Sands Pte Ltd described as “intensive deep cleaning” after temporarily shutting on July 22 – the infection-cluster tally had stood at 60, according to the ministry.

The following day, Friday, a newly-confirmed case took the total to 61. On Saturday, the Marina Bay Sands-related cluster had grown to 62, and subsequently by Sunday to 63.

Marina Bay Sands’ parent company is United States-based Las Vegas Sands Corp, which also has casino operations in Macau, via its unit Sands China Ltd.

In total, as of Sunday, Singapore had 78 new cases of Covid-19 infection, with 73 of those locally transmitted, and 43 of the overall tally linked to previous cases.

Also as of Sunday, Singapore had recorded two new clusters of infection, making in total 130 “active” clusters, “ranging between three and 1,147 infections,” said the Ministry of Health.

On that day, 542 people were being treated in hospital for Covid-19, with most “well and under observation”.

A total of 42 people has died from Covid-19 in Singapore since the start of the crisis.

Singapore officials have stated previously that mass vaccination would be the best way of managing the Covid-19 crisis locally and being able to welcome back the overseas tourists, which are a key target market for the city-state’s two casino resorts – so that government’s focus can be given to treating the most seriously ill.

As of Saturday, 69 percent of Singapore’s population had “completed their full regimen/received two doses of Covid-19 vaccines,” said the ministry.

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