COVID-19: Local Clusters in Singapore (2020)

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Infographic by MustShare News showing the 6 places that the Chinese tour group visited.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed its first locally transmitted cases on 4 February 2020.[1] This entry clarifies the differences between local and community transmission while compiling the a list of confirmed clusters in Singapore.

Local vs. Community spread

The following sections highlight the differences between local and community transmission, as clarified by MOH.

Local spread[2]

  • Limited spread of infection
  • Common source(s) of transmission
  • Identifiable source(s)

The confirmed Singaporean cases on 4 February 2020 involving the Chinese tour group is considered a limited local spread as they can all be traced back to one location - Yong Thai Hang Medical Hall.[3]

Community spread[4]

  • Widespread infection
  • Multiple clusters of transmission
  • Unidentifiable sources

Local Cluster 1: Yong Thai Hang Medical Hall

The shopfront of Yong Thai Hang Medical Hall. Photo from Channel News Asia.

On 22 January, a group of tourists from Guangxi, China entered Singapore.[5] The group visited at least 6 locations in Singapore the next day.[6] The tour group visited these 6 locations:

  • T Galleria by Duty Free Singapore (25 Scotts Road)
  • Meeting You Restaurant (14 Hamilton Road)
  • D'Resort @ Downtown East (1 Pasir Ris Close)
  • Yong Thai Hang Medical Hall (24 Cavan Road)
  • Royal Dragon Restaurant (2 Havelock Road)
  • Diamond Industries Jewellery Company (20 Harbour Drive)

Certain individuals from this group were carriers of the virus, hence initially infecting 4 Singaporeans who were within close and prolonged contact.

2 Chinese nationals (Source)

As of 5 February 2020, at least 2 of the 20 Chinese tourists have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus.[7]

9 Singaporeans (Infected)

There are 9 individuals who are confirmed to have the virus.[8] The first case was confirmed on 3 February.[9] 4 cases were reported on 4 February and 2 were announced on 5 February.[10][11] These cases are considered to be part of a limited local transmission cluster.[12][13]

Case No. Profile Date Tested Positive Relationship Refs.
19 28-year-old female employee at Yong Thai Hang Medical Hall 3 February Employer-Domestic Helper [14]
21 44-year-old female Indonesian national 4 February
20 48-year-old female employee at Yong Thai Hang Medical Hall 4 February -
24 32-year-old female Tour Guide 4 February Husband-Wife
25 40-year-old male employee at Diamond Industries Jewellery Company 4 February
27 45-year-old male 5 February Husband to Case 19 [15]
28 6 month-old child 5 February Child to Case 19 & 27
34 40-year-old female employee at Yong Thai Hang Medical Hall 7 February - [16]
40 36-year-old male Singapore Citizen 8 February -

Local Cluster 2: Grand Hyatt Singapore

The Grand Hyatt is one of the local transmission points in Singapore. Photo from The Straits Times.

109 people were gathered for a private business meeting at Grand Hyatt Singapore from 20 January to 22 January 2020.[17][18] Present at the conference were Chinese nationals from Hubei.[19][20]

3 international cases (Infected)

The 3 confirmed cases involve citizens from Malaysia and South Korea.


The 41-year-old individual from Malaysia, who happened to be the country’s first case, was tested positive for the virus on 4 February.[21] His 40-year-old sister was confirmed to be infected on 6 February.[22]


The infected patient from South Korea is a 38-year-old man who tested positive for the virus on 3 February. He had previously shared a meal with the infected Malaysian individual at the meeting.[23]

3 Singaporeans (Infected)

There were a total of 15 Singaporean residents at the conference. 4 individuals of the 15 have displayed symptoms of the virus. These 4 have since been referred to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) on 5 February.[24] As of 10 February, 3 of the 4 being investigated were found to be infected with the coronavirus.[25]

Case No. Patient Profile Travel History (to Wuhan) Date Tested Positive Relationship Refs.
31 27-year-old male Singapore Citizen No 6 February - [26]
36 38-year-old female Singapore Permanent Resident No 7 February - [27]
39 51-year-old male Singapore Citizen No 8 February - [28]

Local Cluster 3: The Life Church and Missions Singapore

The Life Church and Missions is located in a building on Paya Lebar Road. Photo from The StraitsTimes.

Established in 2002, the church has a congregation made up of 170 members.[29] Out of the 5 individuals in this cluster, there are 2 Chinese nationals and 3 Singaporeans. On 9 February, the church announced that they would be suspending meetings for at least 2 weeks.[30] They added that the suspension could be prolonged if the situation becomes worse.

2 Chinese nationals (Source)

The two Chinese nationals were Cases 8 and 9 in Singapore. The married couple landed in Singapore on 19 January 2020 and had reportedly visited the church on their own accord.[31][32]

Case No. Patient Profile Travel History (to Wuhan) Date Tested Positive Relationship Refs.
8 56-year-old female Chinese national Yes 28 January Husband-Wife [33]
9 56-year-old male Chinese national Yes 28 January

3 Singaporeans (Infected)

As of 10 February 2020, there are 3 Singaporeans infected in this cluster.

Case No. Patient Profile Travel History (to Wuhan) Date Tested Positive Relationship Refs.
31 53-year-old male Singapore Citizen No 6 February - [34]
33 39-year-old female Singapore Citizen No 6 February - [35]
38 52-year-old female Singapore Citizen No 8 February - [36]

Local Cluster 4: Seletar Aerospace Heights

The source of this cluster is not known. The two infected Bangladesh nationals had been working to expand the Singapore Service Centre at Seletar Aerospace Heights.[37] However, the two individuals worked on different buildings in the construction site and reside in different places.[38]

2 Bangladesh nationals (Infected)

Case No. Patient Profile Travel History (to Wuhan) Date Tested Positive Relationship Refs.
42 39-year-old male Bangladesh national No 8 February - [39]
47 39-year-old male Bangladesh national No 10 February - [40]

Local Cluster 5: Grace Assembly of God

The source of this cluster is not known. Grace Assembly of God Church has 2 branches, one at Tanglin and the other at Bukit Batok.[41] The two individuals infected with the coronavirus are employees of the church who have visited both branches of the church.[42]

2 Singaporeans (Infected)

Case No. Patient Profile Travel History (to Wuhan) Date Tested Positive Relationship Refs.
48 34-year-old male Singapore Citizen No 11 February - [43]
49 46-year-old male Singapore Citizen No 11 February - [44]

References / Citations

  1. ↑ “CONFIRMED CASES OF LOCAL TRANSMISSION OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS INFECTION IN SINGAPORE”. Ministry of Health. February 4, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  2. ↑ “FAQs on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation”. Ministry of Health. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  3. ↑ “CONFIRMED CASES OF LOCAL TRANSMISSION OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS INFECTION IN SINGAPORE”. Ministry of Health. February 4, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  4. ↑ “FAQs on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation”. Ministry of Health. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  5. ↑ Mahmud, Aqil Haziq and Chew, Hui Min. “4 locally transmitted cases among new coronavirus patients in Singapore”. Channel News Asia. February 4, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  6. ↑ Tan, Cheryl. “Four of six places visited by Chinese tour group linked to local coronavirus transmissions closed”. The Straits Times. February 6, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  7. ↑ “CONFIRMED CASES OF LOCAL TRANSMISSION OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS INFECTION IN SINGAPORE”. Ministry of Health. February 4, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  8. ↑ “SIX MORE CASES DISCHARGED; THREE NEW CASES OF COVID-19 INFECTION CONFIRMED”. Ministry of Health. February 12, 2020. Accessed on 13 February 2020.
  9. ↑ Tang, See Kit. “What we know about the 5 families among Singapore's confirmed coronavirus cases”. Channel News Asia. February 6, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  10. ↑ Ng, Jun Sen and Lim, Janice. “Novel coronavirus: Singapore reports first local transmissions, 4 cases linked to Jalan Besar shop visited by Chinese tour groups”. Today. February 4, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  11. ↑ Chee, Kenny. “Coronavirus: Singapore confirms 4 new cases, including 6-month-old child of infected couple”. The Straits Times. February 5, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  12. ↑ Mahmud, Aqil Haziq and Yong, Michael. “What we know about the locally transmitted coronavirus cases in Singapore”. Channel News Asia. February 4, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  13. ↑ “FOUR MORE CONFIRMED CASES OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS INFECTION IN SINGAPORE”. Ministry of Health. February 5, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  14. ↑ “CONFIRMED CASES OF LOCAL TRANSMISSION OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS INFECTION IN SINGAPORE”. Ministry of Health. February 4, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  15. ↑ “FOUR MORE CONFIRMED CASES OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS INFECTION IN SINGAPORE”. Ministry of Health. February 5, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  16. ↑ “SIX MORE CASES DISCHARGED; THREE NEW CASES OF COVID-19 INFECTION CONFIRMED”. Ministry of Health. February 12, 2020. Accessed on 13 February 2020.
  17. ↑ Geddie, John. “WHO probes Singapore meet linked to spread of virus”. Reuters. 6 February 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  18. ↑ "More than 100 people attended meeting at Grand Hyatt Singapore linked to Malaysia, South Korea coronavirus cases". Channel News Asia. February 5, 2020 (updated 6 February 2020). Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  19. ↑ “Novel coronavirus: 2 more cases in S’pore, including one with no travel history to China or apparent”. Today. February 6, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  20. ↑ Kamil, Asyraf. “WHO probes Singapore conference linked to coronavirus spread”. The Straits Times. 7 February 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  21. ↑ Sukumaran, Tashny. “Coronavirus cases in South Korea and Malaysia linked to Singapore meeting spark WHO investigation”. South China Morning Post. February 5, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  22. ↑ Sukumaran, Tashny. “Coronavirus: Malaysia confirms first case of human transmission from Singapore meeting, taking tally to 14”. South China Morning Post. February 6, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  23. ↑ “3 new coronavirus cases in South Korea; 2 men had travelled to Singapore for conference”. Channel News Asia. February 5, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  24. ↑ “FOUR MORE CONFIRMED CASES OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS INFECTION IN SINGAPORE”. Ministry of Health. February 5, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  25. ↑ “Coronavirus: Singapore confirms 2 new local infections; 1 appears to have no link to previous cases”. The Straits Times. February 6, 2020. Accessed on 7 February 2020.
  26. ↑ Tan, Tam Mei. “Coronavirus: Gas analysis conference at Grand Hyatt Singapore linked to infections”. The Straits Times. February 7, 2020. Accessed on 10 February 2020.
  27. ↑ Tang, See Kit. “What we know about the 3 local transmission clusters of coronavirus”. Channel News Asia. February 9, 2020. Accessed on 10 February 2020.
  28. ↑ “4 more confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, 6 fully recovered in Singapore”. Connected to India. February 10, 2020. Accessed on 10 February 2020.
  29. ↑ “About the church”. The Life Church and Missions. Accessed on 10 February 2020.
  30. ↑ Mohan, Matthew. “Church linked to possible coronavirus cluster engaged cleaning company to disinfect premises, will suspend meetings”. Channel News Asia. February 9, 2020. Accessed on 10 February 2020.
  31. ↑ Mohan, Matthew. “Church linked to possible coronavirus cluster engaged cleaning company to disinfect premises, will suspend meetings”. Channel News Asia. February 9, 2020. Accessed on 10 February 2020.
  32. ↑ Tan, Audrey. "Coronavirus: Two of five patients who attended Paya Lebar church were not known to the church". The Straits Times. February 9, 2020. Accessed on 10 February 2020.
  33. ↑ “Novel coronavirus in Singapore: What we know about the 43 confirmed cases”. Channel News Asia. January 24, 2020. Accessed on 10 February 2020.
  34. ↑ Lim, Arista. “S’pore Now At DORSCON Orange Alert, 3 New Coronavirus Cases Confirmed On 7 Feb With No Links To China”. MustShare News. February 7, 2020. Accessed on 10 February 2020.
  35. ↑ Oh, Tessa. “Novel coronavirus: One congregant of Paya Lebar church identified as possible cluster is ‘in critical condition’ in ICU”. Today. February 9, 2020. Accessed on 10 February 2020.
  36. ↑ Chang, Ai-Lien. “Coronavirus: 7 new cases in Singapore, possible new cluster involving church in Paya Lebar”. The Straits Times. February 8, 2020. Accessed on 10 February 2020.
  37. ↑ Choo, Yun Ting. “Coronavirus: 2 infected Bangladeshis were working at site to expand Bombardier service centre”. The Straits Times. February 12, 2020. Accessed on 13 February 2020.
  38. ↑ “2 new coronavirus cases in Singapore, including second Bangladeshi worker and RWS casino employee”. Channel News Asia. February 11, 2020. Accessed on 13 February 2020.
  39. ↑ “SIX MORE CASES DISCHARGED; THREE NEW CASES OF COVID-19 INFECTION CONFIRMED”. Ministry of Health. February 12, 2020. Accessed on 13 February 2020.
  40. ↑ “SIX MORE CASES DISCHARGED; THREE NEW CASES OF COVID-19 INFECTION CONFIRMED”. Ministry of Health. February 12, 2020. Accessed on 13 February 2020.
  41. ↑ “About Grace”. Grace Assembly of God. Accessed on 13 February 2020.
  42. ↑ “Fifth cluster found at another church”. The Straits Times. February 13, 2020. Accessed on 13 February 2020.
  43. ↑ “SIX MORE CASES DISCHARGED; THREE NEW CASES OF COVID-19 INFECTION CONFIRMED”. Ministry of Health. February 12, 2020. Accessed on 13 February 2020.
  44. ↑ “SIX MORE CASES DISCHARGED; THREE NEW CASES OF COVID-19 INFECTION CONFIRMED”. Ministry of Health. February 12, 2020. Accessed on 13 February 2020.
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