SAF to continue reducing overseas exercises after 4 RSAF servicemen down with Covid-19, 2 on quarantine

SINGAPORE — As the Covid-19 outbreak shows no sign of abating, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has been reducing its overseas training deployments and exercises. The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said that it will continue to adjust such activities where necessary, depending on the conditions within the host country.

Mindef announced these measures on Wednesday (March 11) after four RSAF servicemen were confirmed to have the coronavirus after returning from official duty in France.

“All SAF personnel, both locally and abroad, have been instructed to take precautionary measures which include social distancing to mitigate the risk of infection,” Mindef said. 

The servicemen — Cases 165, 169, 173 and 175 — were on official duty in Marseille in southern France between Feb 15 and March 7. They returned to Singapore on March 8 and developed symptoms soon after. 

Case 165 — a 30 year-old Singaporean man — tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday — while Cases 169, 173 and 175 — aged 40, 31 and 44 respectively — tested positive on Wednesday. 

Case 169 is warded at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, while the three other cases are at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. 

“None of the four servicemen had been at their workplace or other SAF premises since their return from France,” Mindef said.

Two other RSAF regular servicemen were on the same overseas duty as the four and have returned to Singapore. They are not sick but have been placed on home quarantine as they were close contacts.

France has seen more than 1,780 cases of Covid-19 cases so far.

In a separate statement to the media, OCBC bank confirmed that one of its employees has been infected with Covid-19. 

Ms Koh Ching Ching, head of group brand and communications at the bank, said in response to TODAY’s queries on Wednesday that the employee last showed up in the office on Feb 28. 

Since then, the employee has not been back in the office. 

A spokesperson from OCBC said that the employee developed symptoms on March 1 and was diagnosed to have contracted the virus on March 10. The spokesperson did not want to reveal more details about the employee. 

As a precautionary measure, staff members who had close contact with the employee are now working from home. 

“Thorough cleaning and disinfection of the office and the common areas have been completed,” Ms Koh said. 

“We are giving our colleague and our colleague’s family the best possible support."