Total of 43 Changi Airport workers test positive for Covid-19; source likely worker who helped infected family from South Asia
SINGAPORE - Another 10 airport workers have tested positive for Covid-19 in a special testing operation, out of almost 19,000 workers who were swabbed.The tests were carried out after the emergence of a cluster of Covid-19 cases at the airport. This means a total of 43 airport workers have tested positive for Covid-19 so far, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) on Friday (May 21).
The other 33 infected workers had been detected through other methods, such as when they were serving quarantine orders or undergoing rostered routine testing.
The figures were announced in an update about measures that have been taken at Changi Airport amid a growing number of cases linked to the Changi Airport Covid-19 cluster, which is currently the largest active cluster, with 100 cases as at Thursday.
CAAS and CAG said testing results for an initial batch of Covid-19 positive airport workers were found to be similar and of the B1617 variant, which indicates that they originated from a common source.
"Preliminary investigations indicate that the initial transmission could have occurred through an airport worker who was assisting a family from South Asia, who arrived in Singapore on 29 April, 2021 and were subsequently found to be positive for Covid-19 through their on-arrival tests," said the two agencies.
Further investigations are being done.
On other safety measures, CAG and CAAS said that since Thursday, workers working around Terminal 3 Basement 2 who tested negative for Covid-19 in their first test have been rostered to take an additional Covid-19 test.
In addition, arriving passengers from very-high risk places must now undergo an antigen rapid test (ART) on arrival, on top of the usual polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
"The quicker turnaround time of an ART compared to a PCR test will allow for public health action to be taken more quickly for persons who test positive by ART," said CAAS and CAG.
"From 23 May, 2021, airport workers in higher-risk roles will be required to take an additional ART between their seven-day rostered routine tests," they added.
Meanwhile, passenger terminals at Changi Airport and Jewel will remain closed to the public until the end of the phase two (heightened alert) period on June 13.
Speed at which airport Covid-19 cluster grew is worrying, says expert
Changi Airport and other Covid-19 clusters in S’pore: What we know so far
The source of infection in the cluster has been attributed to workers in a zone at the airport that received travellers from high-risk regions, including South Asia.CAAS said earlier this month that the airport has been implementing precautions based on the risk profile of passengers since March last year. It said then that passengers arriving from flights from "very high-risk" areas are processed separately from other arriving passengers to minimise the mixing of passengers.
Earlier this month, it further segregated passengers arriving from low-risk countries and regions from all other arriving passengers.
https://static.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/details_of_covid-19_positive_aairport_workers.pdf
https://static.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/details_of_covid-19_positive_aairport_workers.pdf
RELATED STORIES:
Brunei temporarily suspends reciprocal green lane with Singapore
S'pore delays 2nd Covid-19 vaccine dose to 6-8 weeks later; those aged 40-44 can register for jabs
askST: Do current Covid-19 measures work for B1617 strain? Is Pfizer vaccine safe for teens?
No truth to Delhi official’s claims of new S'pore Covid-19 variant: Ministry of Health
Covid-19 is airborne, scientists say. Now, the authorities think so, too
Thailand reports youngest victim among record tally of Covid-19 deaths
Taiwan to close all schools amid rise in Covid-19 cases, 2 deaths reported
Malaysia turns to field ICUs, shipping containers and parking lots to cope with Covid-19 overflow
Coronavirus: Oxygen supply in New Delhi has stabilised, allowing it to be shared elsewhere
