BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Aug 22 (NNN-XINHUA) – Brunei extended its partial COVID-19 national lockdown measures for two weeks, as the country reported 122 new cases yesterday, bringing the national tally to 1,455.
“Taking into account that the current situation is still unstable, it is hereby announced that the control measures that have been informed during the Ministry of Health’s press conferences on Aug 7 and Aug 9, are extended until Saturday, Sept 4,” the health ministry said.
According to Brunei’s Ministry of Health, the new cases included 120 local infections and two imported cases. While the source of infection of 79 local cases was still under investigation, 37 local cases were related to five active clusters already identified, and four other local cases were related to one new cluster confirmed yesterday.
It also marked the third consecutive day with daily new cases exceeding 100 since Aug 19, when the country recorded 190 cases and 197 cases respectively.
All new cases in the active clusters were individuals who were being quarantined and were found to be in contact with several confirmed cases.
There are currently 1,096 active cases being treated and monitored at the National Isolation Centre, with three of them in critical condition, requiring respiratory assistance, and 22 other patients under close monitoring.
Before the detection of seven local cases on Aug 7, Brunei kept a record of 457 days without community infections. Facing a new wave of outbreak and an increasingly difficult pandemic situation, the country introduced the strictest control measures ever within two days, with immediate effect until yesterday.
Besides closing religious places, schools switching to online learning, no dine-in for restaurants, and closing indoor and outdoor sports facilities, leisure centres and cinemas, Brunei also banned most mass gatherings, requiring all non-essential sector workers to do work-from-home and barring all residents in Brunei from leaving their houses without any important reason.
The health ministry also said yesterday that, although there were still delays in isolation procedures for some confirmed patients, the country was ramping up efforts to isolate all positive cases in health facilities.
“Cases that have been confirmed positive and have not been transferred to health facilities, as well as, their close contacts, who are undergoing quarantine, are not allowed to leave their respective places of isolation,” the health ministry warned.
Brunei also reported four recoveries yesterday. There have been a total of 355 recovered patients and four COVID-related deaths reported so far in the country.– NNN-XINHUA
