Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has responded to Delhi’s Chief Minister’s sensational claims of a “Singapore variant”, where he urged the central government to ban all flights from Singapore.
MOH responded via a press release that there was “no truth whatsoever in the assertions”.
The assertions in question refer to the article by Hindustan Times published on 18 May: “Coronavirus variant found in Singapore can be India’s 3rd wave, extremely dangerous for kids, warns Arvind Kejriwal”, as well as an article by NDTV: “Stop Singapore Flights: Arvind Kejriwal To Centre Over New Covid Strain”.
MOH said that there is no “Singapore variant”, and explained that the strain that we have seen in many of our recent Covid-19 cases is the B.1.617.2, which actually originated from India.
MOH’s full state:
“The Ministry of Health refers to the reports published by Hindustan Times on 18 May 2021 (“Coronavirus variant found in Singapore can be India’s 3rd wave, extremely dangerous for kids, warns Arvind Kejriwal”) and NDTV on 18 May 2021 (“Stop Singapore Flights: Arvind Kejriwal To Centre Over New Covid Strain”).“
“There is no truth whatsoever in the assertions found within the reports. There is no “Singapore variant”. The strain that is prevalent in many of the COVID-19 cases in recent weeks is the B.1.617.2 variant, which originated in India. Phylogenetic testing has shown this B.1.617.2 variant to be associated with several clusters in Singapore.”
As of 24 April, all long-term pass holders and short term visitors who have a recent travel history to India (including transit) in the last 14 days, have been barred entry into Singapore.
Images source: @ArvindKejriwal on Twitter and tripadvisor