Imported Covid-19 case allowed to enter country on medical grounds after earlier operations in S'pore: MOH

SINGAPORE — The Bangladeshi national who on Sunday (June 14) became Singapore’s first imported Covid-19 case in more than a month was allowed into the country on medical grounds, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday.

The patient arrived in Singapore on June 10 to seek medical treatment not related to Covid-19. He had been in the care of a doctor at Mount Elizabeth Hospital and had two operations performed earlier in Singapore.

An MOH spokesperson said that the man needed follow-up specialist medical care in Singapore, as he faced medical complications and was not responding well to treatment in his country.

Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, all short-term visitors have not been allowed to enter or transit through Singapore since 11.59pm on March 23.

Because of his condition, the patient was “granted a waiver of this travel entry restriction by MOH based on medical grounds”, the MOH spokesperson added. 

The patient was placed on a stay-home notice at a hotel on his arrival in Singapore and was conveyed from the airport to his hotel via a dedicated vehicle. He could leave his residence only for medical consultation and follow-up, the ministry added.

Singapore reported a new low of 214 new coronavirus cases on Monday, including three community cases.

All three are work-pass holders, with no new Singaporean or permanent resident patients reported. Most of the new cases are work-permit holders in migrant worker dormitories.