SINGAPORE – New Covid-19 cases here have not shot up in the past week thanks to the stricter precautions that Singapore has taken, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Saturday (May 22).

The country tightened its safety measures from May 16, including banning dining in and restricting social gatherings. Mr Ong said that the number of new coronavirus infections has been hovering around about 20 to 30 a day since then.

Said Mr Ong: “So you are not seeing the kind of sharp increase in cases that you will see if you don’t take any precautions, don’t do any testing, don’t do any contact tracing. In those circumstances, usually every week, you will see the cases double and double – very scary.”

The minister noted that the number of coronavirus cases here was stabilising.

“I hope we continue that way. We still have to watch for a few more days before we know which direction the cases are heading. But also continue to do our part, so that we can suppress it,” he said.

Mr Ong was speaking at a Facebook Live virtual event for charity Blossom Seeds that launched a new campaign called Unity in Diversity.

The campaign, which was launched in the light of the upcoming Vesak Day on Wednesday (May 26), aims to bring together community partners, donors and volunteers from different races and religions to support vulnerable community members, including seniors with medical conditions.

Blossom Seeds is partnering with organisations such as the Darul Makmur and Assyafaah mosques for this campaign.

Members of the public who are keen to contribute to the campaign and donate to the charity can do so by finding out more on Blossom Seeds’ website and Facebook page.

In a press release on Saturday, the charity said that it plans to raise $300,000 from Unity in Diversity.

During the event, Blossom Seeds also provided updates on its new renovated centre, located in Canberra Street.

The renovations were completed earlier this year, and the centre now includes new facilities, such as a gym, therapy rooms and food preparation areas.

“Our centre will serve as the go-to point for both vulnerable and active seniors and a platform to connect our socially isolated seniors with the community,” said Blossom Seeds.

To keep seniors active, the charity has been focusing on taking activities online. For instance, exercise classes have been conducted over video-conferencing platform Zoom. It also continues to engage seniors through video and phone calls.

Blossom Seeds chief executive Ong Siew Chin said the charity serves all races and religions and emphasised how many seniors in the community need support.

“We have to work with community partners because there are so many roles to be undertaken, we cannot do it on our own. It helps when our partners support us with volunteers or share about the campaign,” she said.

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