16-07-2021, 08:30 AM
SINGAPORE: The Vietnamese short-term visit pass holder who was the first reported COVID-19 case in the KTV cluster entered Singapore in February via the familial ties lane, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Friday (Jul 16).
“According to checks by the ICA, this Vietnamese national entered Singapore in February 2021 via the familial ties lane, sponsored by a Singapore citizen who is her boyfriend,” said ICA and MOM in a joint statement.
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The familial ties lane facilitates the entry of foreigners with "intimate ties" in Singapore, said the statement.
The woman was among the short-term visit pass holders linked to the cluster who had their passes extended, the authorities said on Friday.
READ: Timeline: From KTV lounges switching to F&B outlets, to a spike in local COVID-19 cases
The "index case" - the first reported case - in the KTV cluster was detected when the woman visited a general practitioner clinic on Jul 11 with acute respiratory infection symptoms, said the Health Ministry's director of medical services Kenneth Mak on Wednesday.
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She was taken to a hospital after testing positive. Authorities started epidemiological investigations and contact tracing, and discovered that the woman had frequented many KTV outlets.
Some of the COVID-19 cases in the cluster lived with her in the same household, said Associate Professor Mak.
“According to checks by the ICA, this Vietnamese national entered Singapore in February 2021 via the familial ties lane, sponsored by a Singapore citizen who is her boyfriend,” said ICA and MOM in a joint statement.
Advertisement
The familial ties lane facilitates the entry of foreigners with "intimate ties" in Singapore, said the statement.
The woman was among the short-term visit pass holders linked to the cluster who had their passes extended, the authorities said on Friday.
READ: Timeline: From KTV lounges switching to F&B outlets, to a spike in local COVID-19 cases
The "index case" - the first reported case - in the KTV cluster was detected when the woman visited a general practitioner clinic on Jul 11 with acute respiratory infection symptoms, said the Health Ministry's director of medical services Kenneth Mak on Wednesday.
Advertisement
She was taken to a hospital after testing positive. Authorities started epidemiological investigations and contact tracing, and discovered that the woman had frequented many KTV outlets.
Some of the COVID-19 cases in the cluster lived with her in the same household, said Associate Professor Mak.