Singapore Expo will be second Covid-19 community isolation facility

As part of efforts to deal with and prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Singapore, the Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre is set to become a community isolation  facility for patients recovering from the virus.

According to a report by channelnewsasia.com on Sunday (April 5), Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said at a press conference that day that preparations were already under way to convert the convention centre into a facility to house Covid-19 patients on the final stretch of their journey to complete recovery.

Mr Gan said the facility would function as a place where those recovering could “continue to be cared for until they are cleared of the virus”. The facility would also aid in freeing up space in hospitals for patients who required more intensive care.

The Singapore Expo will be the second community isolation facility for Covid-19 patients who either only experience mild symptoms or are near complete recovery, according to a recent story by straitstimes.com. Although patients may already feel better, they may still be infectious, which is why it is necessary to keep them isolated from people uninfected by the virus. Once they are cleared of the virus, however, the patients will be allowed to go home.

The first such site was D’Resort NTUC in Pasir Ris, which can accommodate up to 500 people.

Although Mr Gan did not disclose how many individuals the facility will be for, he did say that the Government is eyeing the possibility of treating patients who do not require intensive medical care in such facilities. After all, according to a report by Business Insider, 80 per cent of Covid-19 patients experience mild symptoms. Thus, intensive care in the hospital may not be necessary.

In a recent Facebook post, Singapore Expo and its convention wing Max Atria announced that, as the location was being turned into a community isolation facility, it would be closed to the public from Tuesday (April 7) as a restricted area.