Singapore ramps up virus measures for foreign workers

JAKARTA, Indonesia

As part of efforts to curb coronavirus infections, authorities in Singapore on Wednesday announced stricter quarantine measures for foreign workers.

Work permit holders in the construction, marine and process (CMP) sectors who are coming from high-risk countries will have to undergo a 21-day quarantine period, according to the Ministry of Manpower.

From Feb. 5, all such workers will have to stay at a designated facility to go through an additional seven-day testing regime after completing their 14-day stay-home notice (SHN).

The rule has been in place for arriving CMP foreign workers living in dormitories since Jan. 6.

“The new requirement applies to workers who have yet to complete their 14-Day SHN on 5 February and all new arrivals to Singapore from this date,” the ministry said in a statement.

Moderna vaccine approved

American firm Moderna’s COVID-19 has been cleared for use in Singapore, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said on Wednesday.

The body said it has “granted interim authorization under the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR)” for the vaccine to be used for people aged 18 and above.

“HSA’s review of the available clinical data found that the benefits of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the known risks. The vaccine demonstrated a high vaccine efficacy of 94%,” the HSA said.

According to the Health Ministry, Singapore expects to receive the first shipment of the Moderna vaccine by March.

Singapore’s virus caseload is now close to 60,000, including 29 deaths and more than 59,000 recoveries.

* Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian language services in Jakarta