For all of us keenly following the news on COVID-19 and anticipating more easing of restrictions, the news of the KTV cluster came as a huge disappointment.
Some might also be concerned that five pax dining in safety measurement would revert back to the original two pax.
Given how this KTV Cluster could potentially impact the future easing of COVID-19 restrictions, it’s understandable that everyone would want to closely follow news on it.
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered—here’s all you need to know about the KTV cluster.
When Was the Cluster Discovered?
The case was first discovered on Monday (12 July), in the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) daily Update On Local COVID-19 Situation press release.
In their report, MOH announced a new cluster involving KTV lounges or clubs that had been frequented by a group of Vietnamese social hostesses.
“MOH is investigating cases of COVID-19 infection amongst Vietnamese social hostesses who had frequented KTV lounges or clubs currently operating as F&B outlets,” said MOH in their press release.
How Did the Cluster Start?
According to a press conference held today, MOH’s director of medical services Kenneth Mak said that the index case emerged when she went to a general practitioner with acute respiratory infection symptoms on 11 July 2021.
After she tested positive and was admitted into the hospital, MOH commenced contact tracing and epidemiological investigations and discovered that she was a short-term visitor pass holder from Vietnam who had frequented many KTV outlets.
Some other cases that emerged after contact tracing lived with her in the same household, with 12 cases linked to the cluster as of Tuesday.
How Big is the Cluster?
As of the time of writing this article, the KTV Cluster currently stands at 53 cases
This comes after eight new cases that were announced on Tuesday (13 July) had been linked to the cluster, and another 41 linked cases reported today (14 July).
One of the cases is the passenger in a cruise ship that has turned back to Singapore early this morning.
How Many KTVs Are Involved?
So far, in total, around five KTV lounges turned F&B outlets are suspected to be involved in the cluster.
The five KTV lounges are Supreme KTV, Empress KTV, Club Dolce, WU Bistro and Club De Zara. They are located at ar East Shopping Centre, Tanglin Shopping Centre, Balestier Point, Golden Mile Complex and Textile Centre respectively.
All five clubs have to undergo special testing operations, while the latter three KTV lounges are currently under probe for possible ongoing COVID-19 transmission.
The Likely Link Between The Outlets
As you can already guess, a group of Vietnamese hostesses who went around visiting KTV lounges or clubs operating as F&B outlets, and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, are suspected to be at the epicentre of the entire cluster.
No other information is known about the group of Vietnamese hostesses.
However, whether these Vietnamese hostesses were actually there as hostesses, or whether they were simply patrons is still unknown.
The authorities are taking this seriously: health minister Ong Ye Kung said that the police will be taking action against lounges and hostesses who may have breached the current safe management measures in place
Hostesses Were Probably Patrons, Claims KTV Lounge
According to the Supreme KTV manager, who only wanted to be known as Mr Li, the Vietnamese hostesses were most likely just patrons at his outlet.
Stressing that Supreme KTV does not hire hostesses, Mr Li said that he had no idea who the infected Vietnamese hostesses were. He claimed that they were allegedly patrons.
Mr Li said: “To be honest, I do not know who they are. For our part, we allow customers to come in whether they’re hostesses, or Singaporeans, or Chinese nationals or Vietnamese. We are not racist … We don’t exclude (any group)”.
President of the Singapore Nightlife Business Association (SNBA) Joseph Ong said that it “could be the case” when asked about the possibility that the hostesses had been patrons.
KTV Lounges Adherence to Safe Management Measures Being Questioned
According to CNA, Mr Li had emphasised that his establishment had adhered to safe management measures, adding that it was in the long-term interest of the business to do so.
“All of us are hoping we can reopen to nightlife entertainment. That’s why we are trying to (get through) this period,” said Mr Li.
“The Government has given us a chance to operate as F&B, so we try our best to adhere to the rules that the Government sets,” he added.
Despite assurances put out by KTV lounges, it seems like some people still remain doubtful of the truthfulness of their claims.
Joseph Ong said that regardless of whether those Vietnamese hostesses were employees or patrons, intermingling between them and other customers should not have been present.
According to CNA, he also allegedly guessed that safe management measures had “likely” been breached in the KTV lounges, thus causing a new cluster to emerge.
KTV Outlets Have Been Closed
On Tuesday, MOH announced in their press release that Club Dolce, WU Bistro and Club De Zara would be closed to all members of the public from 13 July to 27 July.
This was in order to break any potential chain of transmission and enable deep cleaning.
As reported by CNA, Supreme KTV will also be closed for the next few days in order to ensure that “everything is disinfected and protocols are in place,” said Mr Li.
Referring to the tightening of safe management measures such as safe distancing and mask wearing, Mr Li said: “We all along have been following the protocols, but we will be looking into it further.”
Special Testing for the Staff of KTV Outlets Involved
In its press release on Monday, MOH announced that it would be conducting special testing operations for all staff of Supreme KTV, Empress KTV and Club Dolce.
MOH later added WU Bistro and Club de Zara to the list for special testing operations in another press release a day later, stating that this was in order to “quickly uncover any community infection cases.”
Free COVID-19 Testing for Visitors of the KTV Outlet
MOH has also announced that it will be extending free COVID-19 testing to members of the public who had visited any of the five KTV lounges within a certain time period.
For Supreme KTV, Empress KTV and Club Dolce, those who visited the premises between 29 June and 12 July will qualify for free COVID-19 testing.
As for WU Bistro and Club de Zara, those who visited the premises between 29 June and 13 July will qualify for free COVID-19 testing.
Also, people who had interacted with any Vietnamese social hostesses in any setting between 29 June and 13 July would also be eligible for free COVID-19 testing.
Health Minister: If You Feel Uncomfortable, At Least Stay Home
Suffice to say, some people might not want the world to know that they’ve interacted with any social hostesses.
The Health Minister said, “If you’re still somehow uncomfortable for whatever reason, and really don’t feel like doing it, at the very least I can only urge you if you’ve visited KTV lounges and interacted with hostesses since Jun 29, at the very least stay at home, tell your family about it.
“Make sure you have your own room, isolate yourself, get your family to buy you some ART kits, test yourself, don’t interact with anybody, and monitor your health for the next 14 days.”
Lest you’re not aware, if one wear masks, the chances of transmission are much lower: watch this video to the end and you’d understand:
Featured Image: golubovystock / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purpose only)