SINGAPORE - Singapore has confirmed 47 new coronavirus cases, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Saturday (March 21) evening.

This was the same figure as the number of cases reported on March 18, the highest number since the start of the outbreak.

They include 39 imported cases with travel history to Australia, Europe, North America, Asean and other parts of Asia.

Almost all of the imported cases are returning residents and long-term pass holders, while six are short-term visitors.

Of the remaining eight cases announced on Saturday which were locally transmitted, two are linked to previous cases, while six are currently unlinked.

To date, a total of 140 cases have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital.

Of the 290 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. A total of 14 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

This brings the total number of infected patients here to 432.

Two patients have also died from the virus, MOH reported on Saturday morning.

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One of them, Case 212, is linked to Case 415 confirmed on Saturday. Case 415 is a 64-year-old Indonesian woman.

The authorities introduced stricter safe distancing measures on Friday to reduce the risk of further local transmission.

For instance, all events and gatherings with 250 or more participants are to be suspended until June 30.

Events with fewer than 250 people and operators of venues accessible to the public, such as restaurants and cinemas, are required to implement measures to ensure separation of at least 1m between patrons.

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