Rental waived for airport and Jewel tenants until June 13

Retailers in the Changi Airport terminals and Jewel Changi Airport will have their rental fees fully waived until June 13, Changi Airport Group (CAG) chief executive Lee Seow Hiang said yesterday.

He was responding to a question at a media conference on how airport staff and tenants will be helped financially as the buildings have been closed to the public since May 13.

CAG is also working with gov-ernment agencies and commercial companies to make sure that airport workers are "recognised appropriately".

"That has always been our approach. It is too early for us to reveal the details. Particularly for the workers, we are in active discussions to make sure they will be supported," said Mr Lee.

The terminals and Jewel were closed to stem the spread of the growing Terminal 3 (T3) cluster, and it came on the back of the air hub's struggle to recover from the trough of the pandemic.

While T3 - along with T1 - remains open to travellers, most shops there have opted to close, apart from a few bistros.

In preparation for their re-opening to the public next month, CAG has relooked its operations to shore up safety at its terminals and Jewel.

It has identified arrival gates as the primary infection site for the cluster, and is putting in enhanced safety and zoning protocols to ensure that arriving passengers who potentially carry the virus have no contact with others in the airport.

Mr Lee said one of CAG's key aims is to ensure that the public can be confident about the safety of the 14,000 workers in the airport - in particular the 4,400 who are working in the arrival zones.

He also urged the public not to discriminate against these workers.

"Changi Airport workers are without doubt at the front line of the pandemic, facing risks every day. We should not discriminate against them. In fact, now is the time we need to actively support them," he said.

"Just like nurses and doctors working in infection wards, they have to go home at the end of their shift, and I hope we embrace them when they go home."