SINGAPORE, May 22 (CNA) - The number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore topped 30,000 on Friday (May 22), with 614 new cases reported as of noon.

This brings the total number of cases in the country to 30,426.

The vast majority of the new cases are foreign workers living in dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its preliminary daily update.

Four new cases are either Singaporeans or permanent residents, a drop from the previous day's 13 cases, which was the highest in more than three weeks.

Further updates will be announced on Friday night, the ministry said.

Among the 13 Singaporean cases on Thursday, three are pre-school staff members and four are nursing home residents, with all seven discovered from MOH’s active surveillance and screening. Another four cases are part of a family cluster linked to a dormitory cluster.

The People's Association said on Thursday a third mask distribution exercise will begin on May 26, ahead of the easing of "circuit breaker" restrictions on Jun 1.

On Thursday, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung also addressed concerns by some parents about the reopening of schools on Jun 2.

After having brought community transmissions to a "low and controlled level", school should resume with "many precautions", he said, adding that attendance cannot be voluntary as that would affect students' and teachers' morale.