Singapore to require vaccines or tests for frontline workers
THE government will require workers in high-risk settings to get inoculated by Oct 1 or face bi-weekly testing, said Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday during a Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) briefing.
The government's "vaccinate or regular test" regime will involve workers in vulnerable settings such as healthcare and eldercare sectors. It will also include those working with children 12 years and below.
Workers in higher-risk settings - such as food and beverage (F&B) establishments, gyms and fitness studios as well as personal care services - will also be part of this regime.
"We are easing restrictions of vaccination activities across a range of different settings. It is equally important for those who are working in these settings to be vaccinated," Mr Wong said.
Any unvaccinated persons from the above sectors will have to be tested with an Antigen Rapid Test (ART) kit twice a week, to help protect them, their colleagues and the public, he said.
Mr Wong further noted that public servants, including those in the uniformed services, will also "take the lead" in implementing this requirement.
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"The vaccination rate is already very high across the public service, more than 94 per cent of our officers are vaccinated," he added.
Meanwhile, the government will subsidise the cost of regular testing for those who are medically ineligible to take the Covid-19 vaccine.
"We will continue to closely monitor our vaccination rates and review the need to include other sectors in the future," he said.
The government added that it "strongly encourages" all employers to facilitate vaccination for their employees.
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