Singapore reports 682 new COVID-19 cases, mostly foreign workers

Singapore, May 17 () Singapore on Sunday reported 682 new COVID-19 cases with a vast majority of them being foreign workers living in dormitories, taking the country's total to 28,038, the health ministry said.

A 67-year-old Singaporean man, who had a history of heart disease, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, died of the coronavirus, the 22nd fatality from the contagion, the ministry said.

It said that the vast majority of the 682 fresh cases are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories.

Four of them were Singaporeans or permanent residents.

As the number of community cases goes down to single digits, authorities have been easing some "circuit breaker" restrictions, such as allowing more businesses to reopen, according to a Channel News Asia report.

Most of Singapore's coronavirus-related deaths are elderly cases, it said.

The youngest patient to die from the disease is a 58-year-old Singaporean woman who was declared free of the virus before her death.

As of Saturday, Singapore has 1,111 coronavirus patients in hospital and 17,881 in isolation, according to the ministry.