According to the account of a 19-year-old student at the National University of Singapore Business School, an indoor maskless activity during a recent orientation has resulted in 20 students catching Covid-19.
In Singapore, masks are still required to be worn when indoors.
The 19-year-old, an NUS freshman, told Shin Min Daily News that around 200 participants attended the orientation camp at NUS Business School from June 15 to 17.Â
Attendees were divided into 18 groups in all, with activities starting at 8 in the morning and ending at 10 o’clock at night, which meant that group members spent many hours with one another in both outdoor and indoor activities.
In keeping with pandemic regulations, participants were allowed to go maskless for activities outdoors.
Some students, however, did not bother to put their masks back on when they went indoors for the other activities.
Although older students on the committee that organised the orientation camp went around reminding participants to put their masks on while indoors, not everyone complied, as seen in a photo that the student gave Shin Min Daily News, which showed around 20 students standing in a line on the stage, very close together, all without masks.
Some members of the audience, at least, can be seen masked.
The student herself stayed masked throughout the orientation activities as she did not want to get infected with Covid.
She also told Shin Min Daily News, however, that there were activities and equipment that different groups shared.
Furthermore, she said that attendees received an alert via WhatsApp that one participant had come down with Covid.Â
Nevertheless, the camp activities went on, after precautions such as the disinfection of the venue where activities were held were carried out.
Additionally, the group members where the infected person belonged were asked to take Antigen Rapid Tests (ARTs).
But after the camp, the student who spoke to Shin Min Daily News got infected with Covid, as did 20 of her friends.
Unfortunately, some of the infected students who had plans to travel overseas had to cancel them.
She said that during the orientation, some of the attendees were already showing symptoms. However, since they did not want to waste the $55 fee for the camp, they decided to stay on till the end.
A representative for the university spoke to Shin Min Daily News, confirming that several participants of the orientation had come down with Covid after the camp ended.
NUS has reached out to them offering help.
The university representative said that students’ safety is their priority, and underlined that stents are not required to attend the orientation activities when they feel unwell.
The representative added that students who did not follow safety measures will face disciplinary action.
/TISG