27 Covid-19 cases in MINDSville@Napiri in Hougang: Residents have not been on outings or gone home since May 7

SINGAPORE – All residents of MINDSville @ Napiri Adult Disability Home have not been on outings or returned to their own home since May 7, the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (Minds) said in a media statement posted on its website.

This means that the residents have not left MINDSville @ Napiri since May 7, except for medical appointments, a Minds spokesman told The Straits Times on Thursday (June 3).

There are 112 intellectually disabled people aged 18 and older living in the home, which is located in Lorong Napiri, in Hougang.

All the staff living in the home have not been allowed to leave it since May 7, except for essential purposes.

On Wednesday night (June 2), the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) announced that 27 people – 23 residents and four staff – at MINDSville had tested positive for Covid-19.

A 37-year-old female resident who was the first case developed a cough and runny nose on May 29 and a fever the next day.

The resident, a Singaporean, was taken to a polyclinic the next day. She underwent both an antigen rapid test and polymerase chain reaction test, and both came back positive on 31 May.

The home then immediately took additional measures to ensure the health and well-being of all residents and staff, said the MSF.

All the 255 residents and staff at MINDSville have been tested, added the MSF, which funds the home.

Among the 27 cases who tested positive, 23 were asymptomatic and were discovered through proactive testing, the MSF said.

The MSF added that 91 per cent of the staff and residents of the home were vaccinated in February and March.

The home has also stopped all admissions and the discharging of residents, prohibited all visitors and completed thorough cleaning and disinfection of its premises.

All residents, staff and other close contacts, including clients, visitors and vendors, have been placed in quarantine and will be regularly tested, said the MSF.

In its statement, Minds, a charity, said that it tightened the home’s safe management measures when Singapore imposed phase two (heightened alert) restrictions, which started on May 16. These include:

– Daily monitoring of the health of all residents and staff, with their temperatures taken twice a day.

– Implementing split zones and safe distancing for all residents. Meal times and activities for residents are staggered and carried out in small groups.

– Enforcing hand hygiene and personal hygiene protocols for residents.

– Asking staff to avoid social and physical interaction among themselves. This includes limiting interactions and staff practising safe distancing during common times and in shared spaces.

In its statement, Minds said it “has reached out to the caregivers to assure them that the safety of all the residents, clients and staff is of utmost priority”.