The Latest: Most of Singapore foreign labor cleared of COVID

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s government says most foreign workers can now resume work as their dormitories have been cleared of COVID-19 after months of lockdown and virus testing.

People living in the crowded dormitories were the bulk of Singapore’s 55,353 cases. Only 27 deaths have been recorded in the city-state.

The Ministry of Manpower said in a statement late Tuesday that all the dormitories have been cleared, except for 17 standalone blocks, which serve as quarantine facilities.

It said all foreign workers living in the dormitories have either recovered or tested as virus-free, except for 22,500 workers in isolation. The majority of them are now able to return to work including 81% of the 387,000 workers in the construction, marine shipyard and process industries.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— Companies test antibody drugs to treat, prevent COVID-19

— Science and politics tied up in global race for a vaccine

— What’s keeping Washington from a virus deal, explained

— Russia has become the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine. The move announced Tuesday was met with international skepticism and unease because the shots have only been tested in dozens of people.

— New York’s coronavirus death toll in nursing homes, already among the highest in the nation, could actually be a significant undercount. Unlike every other state with major outbreaks, New York only counts residents who died on nursing home property and not those who died in hospitals.

— Across Africa and around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the supply of antiretroviral drugs to many of the more than 24 million people who take them, endangering their lives.

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