After closing for two weeks because of the Covid-19 outbreak on its premises, the Jurong Fishery Port finally started seeing signs of activity yesterday.
The Sunday Times (ST) observed nine people - believed to be employees of the port's tenants - at the port's entrance between 6am and 10am.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said the port reopened only at 3pm.
Most of the workers came in their own vehicles, which they parked outside the entrance, while others arrived in taxis.
Those who spoke to ST said they had returned to open their companies' offices for disinfection, as instructed by their bosses. Friday was the last day of their quarantine.
They also said they had not yet been instructed to prepare for tomorrow, when unloading and wholesale activities are allowed to resume at the port.
But the workers were allowed to enter the port at about 9.40am. By then, five of them had left after some asked another worker to open their offices on their behalf.
The others had to don protective clothing and were escorted by an SFA officer into the port.
Three visitors, believed to be staff tasked with disinfecting the premises, were seen entering between 9.15am and 9.25am.
The Jurong Fishery Port closed on July 17, after multiple Covid-19 infections were detected there - as well as at Hong Lim Market and Food Centre - the day before.
The cases involved fishmongers and stall assistants, who unwittingly transmitted the virus to more people in the markets and communities where they ply their trade. As at yesterday, the port cluster had a total of 1,027 cases.
In a statement on Wednesday, SFA said yesterday's reopening was for tenants to make arrangements for the resumption of operations. The agency said the tenants would be briefed on the enhanced Covid-19 measures at the port. These included testing all authorised entry pass holders - consisting mainly of tenants, workers and traders - before they entered the port. Thereafter, they would be placed under a seven-day rostered routine testing regime.
Those who are not tested or do not have a negative test result would not be allowed to enter the fishery ports.
These measures come on top of requirements such as temperature checks and TraceTogether SafeEntry check-in that have been in place for entry pass holders since March last year.
SFA also said in the statement that it had conducted two rounds of deep cleaning of the entire site, including disinfecting the tenants' offices.
It added that it would continue to clean common areas and crates after the port reopens.
The agency would also be working with trade associations to refine the enhanced measures and adapt them if necessary to the unique working conditions of Singapore's two fishery ports, it said.
