Lifting of routine testing rules for some sectors brings relief

Various sectors that no longer have to conduct rostered routine testing (RRT) for their staff have unanimously welcomed the easing of rules, which came into effect on Feb 18.

Those who have had to undergo regular Covid-19 testing include people working in the food and beverage sector, workers in shopping malls and border workers at the airport and seaport, as well as workers living in dormitories.

However, the healthcare and eldercare sectors, and pre-schools, which have unvaccinated children, must continue with RRT.

Operators that The Straits Times spoke to said the lifting of RRT rules for some sectors has eased the financial and administrative burdens of employers.

"Tenants have heaved a sigh of relief as the easing of test requirements and procedures has enabled them to re-delegate manpower... this is expected to improve productivity," said a spokesman for GR.iD mall, located along Selegie Road.

"The easing of measures has also eased the anxiety and stress among supervisors and workers. In addition, it reduces waste, with less plastic from antigen rapid test (ART) kits being used and thrown away on a daily basis."

It was a sentiment mirrored by other retailers, such as department store BHG. "The easing of testing rules lightens the manpower load on the dedicated team we had assigned to manage the testing guidelines... this means we will have more manpower to support the shop floors or other operational requirements," said a spokesman.

Employees at dine-in F&B establishments were among those who have had to undergo RRT since July last year.

Jigger & Pony Group, for example, had 150 employees who had to do testing under the Employer Supervised Self-Swab regime.

"We appreciate the assistance from the Government in supplying ART kits for the past nine months and, thankfully, we did not run out of test kits," said Mr Indra Kantono, co-founder of the group.

"However, the operational costs were estimated at $20 per head count - including the packing and logistics of sending ART kits to each venue monthly, on top of the time taken for the team to undergo the weekly testing regime."

Besides cost savings, the removal of routine testing has also helped affected sectors like dormitories to streamline operations.

Dormitory Association of Singapore president Johnathan Cheah said the response from operators was "generally positive".

A spokesman for S11 Dormitories said: "It helps as resources can be allocated to other aspects of operations, such as facilitating dormitory cleanliness, facility maintenance and security."

However, even with RRT no longer being mandated, all the businesses and operators that ST spoke to said they will urge their staff to exercise personal responsibility and self-test regularly.

The S11 Dormitories spokesman said: "We will advise our staff to test themselves if they feel unwell or are experiencing any acute respiratory infection symptoms. Should they test positive, they are advised to visit the clinic or quick test centres and follow the established health protocol."