THE main kitchen at Sentosa Golf Club may be closed after a recent salmonella scare, but food is still being served and it is business as usual at the club.

Sixteen people fell ill and subsequently tested positive for salmonella after attending a seminar at the club on Dec 11. A chef, one of the eight kitchen staff who handled the food, later tested positive for salmonella.

But the chef's salmonella strain is different from the one the 16 people were infected with. The source of their infection is still not known.

Last Friday, the club closed its kitchen so that all 16 of its kitchen staff could undergo medical checks.
The club has since brought in a separate food and beverage team to prepare food for the restaurant, but operating from a different kitchen.

A club spokesman said: "The management has to take proactive steps to ensure that the highest levels of health and safety are observed."

The Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) inspected the club's restaurant on Friday.

The NEA said it has found the premises to be "well maintained". The 16 people infected with salmonella were part of a bigger group present at the seminar on that day.

Earlier this month, 203 people came down with food poisoning after eating salmonella-tainted cakes from bakery chain PrimaDeli. Fifteen people were hospitalised.

People who catch the salmonella bacteria usually experience the mild form of the disease, which includes symptoms such as diarrhoea, stomach pain and fever.

However, in some rare cases, the bacteria enters the bloodstream and can cause organ failure or death.