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SINGAPORE: Air crews of Singapore-based airlines are exempt from providing a stay-at-home notice as they are subject to strict COVID-19 preventive measures, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a written parliamentary response on Monday (January 4).
These include wearing face masks and face shields on board, refraining from interacting with passengers, and performing a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test when arriving from high-risk countries and regions.
Mr. Ong was responding to a question from the Workers’ Party (MP) Member of Parliament Jamus Lim, who asked why a stay-at-home notice is required for non-Singaporean airline flight crews, but not for Singapore-based airlines.
“This treatment is consistent with that of front-line workers, such as doctors and nurses, who do not have to deliver notices to stay at home after performing their duties in view of the preventive measures taken to protect them while on duty. ”Said Ong. said.
“If foreign airlines can comply with these preventive measures, their aircrew will be subject to the same rules. If not, they will have to notify the SHNs (Home Stay Notice) during their stay in Singapore, regardless of which countries they have flown from. “
In addition to COVID-19 testing requirements and onboard precautions, Singapore-based airline crew members are required to take exclusive transportation to hotels, use location trackers, and must remain in their hotel room until their departure flight when they must stay abroad. destination.
READ: Singapore strengthens COVID-19 measures for aircrew, including more frequent PCR tests
The measures have also been improved after recent COVID-19 cases involving the Singapore Airlines crew, Ong noted.
Airline crews that have stops in higher risk countries are tested more frequently after returning to Singapore and must be isolated for a few days.
“We are also exploring including aircrew as a priority group for vaccines,” he added.
The two recent COVID-19 cases involving the Singapore Airlines crew involve a butler and a pilot who are suspected of contracting the new strain of the virus.
READ: Singapore Airlines steward who traveled to the US Classified as a locally transmitted COVID-19 case
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The pilot had flown to the UK from December 19-22 and was tested on December 23 as part of the regular checklist tests for aircrew members who travel frequently.
The test came back negative, but after developing a fever on December 26, she had another test the next day and confirmed that she had COVID-19 on December 29.
The butler, who was asymptomatic, had worked a flight to New York and was confirmed positive on December 27 after two inconclusive test results.
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