Coronavirus: Singapore
Most workers at Jewel have had at least one vaccine jab
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More than 2,500 workers at Jewel were tested for Covid-19 last month, and all the test results were negative. Precautionary measures to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission have also been stepped up at the shopping complex as it welcomed its first visitors after a month-long closure.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
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About nine in 10 eligible staff working at Jewel Changi Airport have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, said the mall's management yesterday.
There are more than 2,500 workers at Jewel, who were tested for Covid-19 in a special testing operation for airport workers last month. All the test results were negative.
Precautionary measures to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission have also been stepped up at the 135,700 sq m shopping complex as it welcomed its first visitors after a month-long closure.
Jewel said yesterday it has adopted a set of updated guidelines issued by the authorities last month on improving building ventilation and air quality to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
This includes purging air-conditioned air in the mall two hours before opening hours, maximising the intake of air from outdoors, and minimising indoor air from being recirculated inside the mall.
Any recirculated air is treated using hospital-grade air filters, Jewel said. Meanwhile, lamps that emit UV-C radiation, which can kill the Covid-19 virus, have been installed in all air handling units, which are part of the mall's ventilation and air-conditioning system.
The stepped-up measures come after the mall was shut on May 13 along with Changi Airport Terminals 1 and 3 to stem the spread of a growing Covid-19 cluster that originated from Terminal 3.
During the month-long closure, thorough cleaning and disinfection of Jewel's premises, including tenanted spaces, were carried out. This was done even as no Covid-19 cases were detected at Jewel.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Changi Airport Group said last Friday that deep cleaning and disinfection of the airport passenger terminals have also been completed.
New safety measures segregating 14,000 airport workers into three distinct zones based on risk level are also in place.
The passenger terminal buildings will remain closed to the public to allow the airport community to adjust to the zoning system.
Tenants in airport terminals will continue to have their rental fees waived until they can reopen.
In all, 108 Covid-19 patients, including 43 airport workers, were linked to the T3 cluster. The most recent cases linked to the cluster tested positive on May 22.
With Jewel's reopening, tenants said ensuring the safety of workers and customers is key.
Mr Kenneth Tan, 42, a senior operations manager for Sincere Fine Watches, said the luxury watch retailer's Jewel outlet is disinfected every three hours. The shop's eight employees have all been vaccinated. They must take their temperatures twice a day and report any signs of illness.
Shake Shack Singapore operations director Cami Soh said employees at the fast-food chain's Jewel outlet will not be deployed to other branches. If there is another last-minute closure of the mall, Shake Shack will continue to pay their salaries.
She added: "We learnt from our past experience what are the things we need to do. This includes swab-testing workers to make sure they are safe."
Kok Yufeng
