More than 5,000 Changi Airport T3 staff test negative for Covid-19

The ministry announced on Oct 24 that all individuals working at T3 who may have contact with travellers will be tested for Covid-19. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

SINGAPORE - More than 5,000 workers from Changi Airport Terminal 3 have tested negative for Covid-19, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday (Oct 6).

The ministry announced on Oct 24 that all individuals working at T3 who may have contact with travellers will be tested for Covid-19, after two employees there tested positive for the virus.

One is a security officer at T3, while the other is a screener and swab assistant at Raffles Medical at T3. Both had not interacted with each other, said MOH then.

In total, 5,084 employees at T3 have been tested thus far, and all their results have returned negative.

Some 33 remaining workers who have yet to be swabbed have been temporarily suspended from duties until they test negative, said MOH.

It is working with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore to have the 33 tested.

On Friday, four new imported cases were reported, taking Singapore's total to 58,047.

No new cases from the community or within workers' dormitories were announced.

Among the four imported cases, three are currently employed here.

Of these, one is a work pass holder. The 31-year-old French woman arrived from France.

Another is a 30-year-old female Filipino work permit holder who arrived from the Philippines.

The last patient working here is a 34-year-old British engineer. He is holding a short-term visit pass, and arrived here from the United Kingdom for a work project.

All three had been placed on stay-home notices upon arrival in Singapore, and were tested while serving their notices.

The remaining imported patient is a special pass holder who is a crew member of a ship that arrived from the United States. The 25-year-old American woman had not disembarked from the ship, and was swabbed onboard the vessel upon arrival its in Singapore.

MOH added that the cluster at Tuas South Dormitory has been closed as there have been no new cases linked to it for two incubation periods, or 28 days.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has remained low, with a total of one such case in the past week who is currently unlinked.

With 10 cases discharged on Friday, 57,944 patients have fully recovered from the disease.

A total of 36 patients remain in hospital, with none in intensive care, while 24 are recuperating in community facilities.

Singapore has had 28 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes.

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