Omicron cluster at The Vinyl Bar

1.     The Ministry of Health (MOH) has detected a cluster of 10 COVID-19 Omicron cases linked to The Vinyl Bar (266 River Valley Road). All 10 cases are fully vaccinated and have mild or no symptoms. MOH is ringfencing the cases through contact tracing.

2.     The primary case in the cluster, Case 280860, is a traveller who arrived in Singapore on 14 December 2021 from the US via a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flight. His on-arrival test was negative for COVID-19, and he tested positive for COVID-19 infection on 18 December.

3.     On 15 December, Case 280860 met a colleague (Case 281477). Case 281477 subsequently visited The Vinyl Bar (266 River Valley Road) on 17 December. Our epidemiological investigations found that Case 281477 likely transmitted the virus to a staff of the bar (Case 281876) and three patrons (Cases 282091, 282143 and 282178) who were at the bar that evening. Case 282091 then went on to infect four household members.

4.     Staff and visitors of The Vinyl Bar (266 River Valley Road) who are identified to be close contacts of the cases will be placed on quarantine. As a precautionary measure, other staff and visitors to the bar at the same time as Case 281477 on 17 December will be contacted by MOH for a one-time targeted polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

5.     All visitors to The Vinyl Bar (266 River Valley Road) are advised to monitor their health closely, and minimise social interactions as far as possible, for 14 days from their date of visit. They are encouraged to see a doctor immediately if they feel unwell.

6.     We are picking up more Omicron cases because of the rapid spread of the variant across many countries/regions. To date, there are 448 confirmed Omicron cases detected in Singapore, with 369 imported cases and 79 local cases. Given its high transmissibility, it is a matter of time before the Omicron variant spreads in our community. It is important for everyone to continue to play their part and remain vigilant to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and to come forward to receive your vaccination or booster dose when offered.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH