People who visited Jem or Westgate between May 10 and 14 urged to take free PCR test

People who visited Jem or Westgate in Jurong East between May 10 and 14 are strongly encouraged to be tested for Covid-19.

The free tests are being offered to the public as coronavirus-positive patients were at the malls during that period, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on its website.

MOH said that while close contacts of the confirmed cases have already been identified, the free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are being offered to deal with the risk of wider, undetected viral spread in the community.

MOH will inform individuals about the free testing via SMS. They will be identified through their SafeEntry records.

This comes as cases continue to surface in the community here.

A worker at the FairPrice outlet at Champions Court in Woodlands Avenue 1 tested positive for Covid-19, prompting swab tests for all staff there, and the store will be closed for two days.

The staff member tested positive for the virus yesterday, said FairPrice in a post on its Facebook page. The outlet was closed yesterday and will be closed again today for deep cleaning.

The supermarket chain said all staff at the affected store have been put on leave of absence.

It added that the employee who tested positive had been fully vaccinated earlier this year.

It said: "The affected staff member has since been quarantined, and is currently seeking treatment at a medical facility. We are rendering the necessary assistance to her and her family during this time.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and would like to assure you that we are sparing no effort to protect our customers and staff," it added.

On Sunday, Sheng Siong closed its outlet at Block 440 Bukit Batok Avenue 8 after an employee there tested positive for Covid-19. The company said that all staff there would be swabbed and the outlet closed until 7am yesterday for disinfection.

The worker is a 28-year-old man who replenishes stocks at the grocery department. Sheng Siong said he had minimal contact with customers. He had also been fully vaccinated.

Those who had visited either Jem or Westgate can book an appointment at designated regional testing centres or walk in at selected medical facilities. The full list of facilities is available here: https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/rsc/jem-and-westgate-covid-19-testing

Ng Wei Kai

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 19, 2021, with the headline People who visited Jem or Westgate between May 10 and 14 urged to take free PCR test. Subscribe