Singapore reported 151 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Tuesday (Jun 16), taking the national total to 40,969. 

The new infections include two work permit holders in the community. Both were detected as a result of proactive screening of workers in essential services, even though they were asymptomatic. The workers had been identified as work pass holders in the preliminary update. 

Serological tests for one of the work permit holders - Case 40857 - have come back positive, which indicates likely past infection, said MOH. The test result for the remaining case is pending. 

"Overall, the number of new cases in the community has decreased, from an average of nine cases per day in the week before, to an average of seven per day in the past week," MOH said.

The rest of the 149 new cases are work permit holders living in dormitories. 

There were no new clusters reported. 

Singapore will begin the second phase of its reopening on Friday.

Small gatherings of up to five people will be allowed to resume, along with dining in at food and beverage outlets. Retail businesses may also reopen their physical outlets. 

Beaches, parks and sports facilities will also be allowed to reopen.

However activities that involve large numbers of people who are likely to come into close contact for prolonged periods of time “will take more time” to resume, said Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong on Monday.

These include religious services, large cultural venues such as museums and libraries, large-scale events such as concerts and exhibitions, as well as entertainment venues such as bars, nightclubs, karaoke outlets, cinemas and theatres. 

Phase 2 Infographic

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This article was adapted from Channel NewsAsia