Vietnamese woman in KTV cluster entered SG through the familial ties lane, was sponsored by her Singaporean boyfriend

Singapore — The Vietnamese woman identified as the first reported Covid-19 case in the KTV cluster entered Singapore through the familial ties lane, as she was sponsored by her Singaporean boyfriend.

In a joint statement by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Friday (Jul 16), the Vietnamese woman, who is a short-term visit pass holder, is considered to be the “index case”, or the first reported case, in the KTV cluster and her Covid-19-positive status was detected when she visited a general practitioner clinic on Jul 11 with acute respiratory infection symptoms.

The familial ties lane facilitates the entry of foreigners with “intimate ties” in Singapore, said the statement.

According to ICA’s SafeTravel website, eligible travellers under the familial ties lane include immediate family members, relatives, fiancés or fiancées of a Singaporean or permanent resident.

After contact tracing was carried out, it was discovered that the Vietnamese woman had been to many KTV outlets.

Police investigations into possible illegal activities within this KTV cluster are ongoing. The cluster grew to 88 cases on Thursday.

Employers who illegally employ these pass holders or abet them in illegal employment may face a fine of S$5,000 to S$30,000, up to 12 years’ jail, or both. Their work pass privileges may also be suspended. /TISG