(Bloomberg) -- Singapore confirmed a new cluster of Covid-19 cases linked to the omicron variant, warning that it expects to see the highly-transmissible strain spread in the community.
The primary case in the confirmed cluster at The Vinyl Bar in the city was a passenger who flew in using Singapore's quarantine-free vaccinated travel lane on Dec. 14. He tested negative upon arrival but received a positive result in a further government-mandated test four days later.
Nine more people are linked to the cluster. All are fully vaccinated and have mild or no symptoms, the ministry of health said. The confirmed cases and their close contacts will be placed in quarantine.
Singapore has confirmed a total of 448 cases linked to the omicron variant, of which 369 are imported cases. “It is a matter of time before the omicron variant spreads in our community,” the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier in the week, the island-city suspended tickets for flights and bus trips under its quarantine-free travel lanes for entry from Dec. 23 to Jan. 20 in a bid to stem the spread of the variant.
Omicron has fast become the dominant Covid-19 strain in many countries since it emerged about a month ago. This is the second confirmed cluster in Singapore, which has been gradually opening its borders to select countries since October after abandoning a Covid-zero approach still pursued by China and Hong Kong.
Singapore is one of the most vaccinated places in the world, with 96% of those eligible and 87% of the population overall fully inoculated. More than a third of the population has received booster shots. Jabs for those under 12 years of age will start on Dec. 27.
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