Safe distancing double standard by the government

[LITTLEREDDOT]

The government is applying double-standard to keep SIA from bleeding more money.
SIA, and those airlines who do not practice safe-distancing, are the main conduits for imported covid-19 cases.
In the meanwhile the peasants have gone 12 months wearing masks and practising safe distancing.

Forum: Lack of safe distancing on plane
PUBLISHED DEC 14, 2020

Singapore has conscientiously implemented safe distancing measures, from hawker centre seats marked out with conspicuous red crosses of masking tape to the number of mats in yoga classes being dramatically reduced.

Enforcement officers and safe distancing ambassadors have been deployed to ensure people comply with Singapore's safe distancing measures.

But who is policing the skies?

I recently travelled from London back to Singapore with Singapore Airlines. I was more than a little surprised to discover that the flight was full. On a plane that seats 253 passengers, there were hardly any empty seats on board.

When, with equal measures of curiosity and concern, I asked a staff member whether any measure of distancing could feasibly be implemented at such capacity, the answer was that there was no requirement imposed on the airline to ensure any minimum distance between passengers.

The usual amount of space, or lack thereof, in economy class is familiar to most. In the row directly behind me sat three passengers, all strangers to one another - a Singaporean student returning home, a young Australian woman transiting through Singapore and an elderly woman on her way to Malaysia. It's safe to say they were not from the same household, and had they attempted to have a meal together in a hawker centre, such proximity would not be acceptable.

On the 11th day of my compulsory stay-home notice and one day after I was tested for Covid-19, I received a call from the Ministry of Health. One person who sat near me and two in total on the same flight had tested positive for the virus.
I can't say the news was unexpected.

Which leads me to this question: Are all air carriers exempt from the safe distancing measures on the ground?

While the image of empty planes perched desolately in the Australian desert makes the commercial need to fill up seats certainly understandable, this situation also highlights a serious loophole that the government task force should take steps to examine and address.

Koh Rui Zhen

 

[gingerlyn]

Koh Rui Zhen should charter private flight to get the best safe distance protection

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

koh rui zhen is gongcheebuy
in plane is controlled environment
everyone can be tracked
hawker centre is open environment, cannot track
gong cheebuy koh rui zhen

 

[glockman]

Yay, SIA is above the law! Does this mean I can start buying SIA stocks already?

 

[sweetiepie]

KNN my uncle think koh rui zhen is same like Very Kind Lady kind KNN

 

[tanwahtiu]

When u hv Pinky as leader don't expect happy tough measures. Can't handle LI riot says all.

 

[sweetiepie]

KNN my uncle think koh rui zhen is same like Very Kind Lady kind KNN

I recently travelled from London back to Singapore with Singapore Airlines

If my uncle can leeply koh rui zhen he will say KNN don't think my uncle don't know you want to tell people you very high crass came back from London and fly sia KNN but people see you writing rubbish KNN

 

[countryman]

The government is applying double-standard to keep SIA from bleeding more money.
SIA, and those airlines who do not practice safe-distancing, are the main conduits for imported covid-19 cases.
In the meanwhile the peasants have gone 12 months wearing masks and practising safe distancing.

Forum: Lack of safe distancing on plane
PUBLISHED DEC 14, 2020

Singapore has conscientiously implemented safe distancing measures, from hawker centre seats marked out with conspicuous red crosses of masking tape to the number of mats in yoga classes being dramatically reduced.

Enforcement officers and safe distancing ambassadors have been deployed to ensure people comply with Singapore's safe distancing measures.

But who is policing the skies?

I recently travelled from London back to Singapore with Singapore Airlines. I was more than a little surprised to discover that the flight was full. On a plane that seats 253 passengers, there were hardly any empty seats on board.

When, with equal measures of curiosity and concern, I asked a staff member whether any measure of distancing could feasibly be implemented at such capacity, the answer was that there was no requirement imposed on the airline to ensure any minimum distance between passengers.

The usual amount of space, or lack thereof, in economy class is familiar to most. In the row directly behind me sat three passengers, all strangers to one another - a Singaporean student returning home, a young Australian woman transiting through Singapore and an elderly woman on her way to Malaysia. It's safe to say they were not from the same household, and had they attempted to have a meal together in a hawker centre, such proximity would not be acceptable.

On the 11th day of my compulsory stay-home notice and one day after I was tested for Covid-19, I received a call from the Ministry of Health. One person who sat near me and two in total on the same flight had tested positive for the virus.
I can't say the news was unexpected.

Which leads me to this question: Are all air carriers exempt from the safe distancing measures on the ground?

While the image of empty planes perched desolately in the Australian desert makes the commercial need to fill up seats certainly understandable, this situation also highlights a serious loophole that the government task force should take steps to examine and address.

Koh Rui Zhen

U wana take the flight back, u should bear the risk yourself. No one force u to take the flight in the 1st place.
Even if the plane was half filled, there's not much difference cos the air we breath are recycled in the plane.

 

[millim6868]

The government PAPigd slso dumb ,those buffet style eatery should not operate ,just imagine 1 hv covid 19 n contaminate food, n next is hosay liao,

 

[amransan]

Double standard or not it is a choice of individual to take aeroplane and there a risk especially if u from or going to countries where the still a good numbers are infected with covid just like the cruise to nowhere in sg.

I canceled my trip to Singapore and even canceled our yearly cruise(cruise in Australia) both this year just to be safe.
have to wait maybe 2 years later to make sure everybody get the vaccine then can resume our holiday again.

 

[bonds]

Yay, SIA is above the law! Does this mean I can start buying SIA stocks already?

K.N.N.

Buys their Jet Fuel.

You can use your Grocery Vouchers.

 

[bonds]

If my uncle can leeply koh rui zhen he will say KNN don't think my uncle don't know you want to tell people you very high crass came back from London and fly sia KNN but people see you writing rubbish KNN

K.N.N.

Me Nephew saids can ask the Sarong Kebaya Milf to wind down the windows

and open the roof top.

Proof :::


.

 

[chickenpieforeveryone]

then don't take plane la. kpkb so much

 

[red amoeba]

London Singapore flights have suites. She should book a suite and invite the steward to have a good time on the 13 hour flight. There is a lot of distancing except between two bodies.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Government trying to save Singapore Airlines

Singapore to launch segregated lane for business travellers who will not need to be quarantined

Those using the lane will be transported from the airport to dedicated facilities where they will stay and work.PHOTO: ST FILE

Clement Yong

DEC 15, 2020

SINGAPORE - From the second half of January 2021, short-term business travellers from all countries arriving in Singapore will no longer need to be quarantined, under new segregated travel lane arrangements.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Tuesday (Dec 15) that those who opt to use the lane will be transported from the airport to dedicated facilities where they will stay and work.

There, they can have meetings through floor-to-ceiling air-tight glass panels with local businessmen, as well as with other foreign businessmen with safe distancing measures in place.

Regular testing will be conducted throughout the duration of their stay - for instance on alternate days - in addition to tests before departure from their home countries and upon arrival here.

They will also have to move within their pre-declared travel group of up to five people to reduce the risk of mass transmission.

The segregated travel lane is distinct from existing reciprocal green lane arrangements, which apply only to selected countries but allow those on essential business here to move about around Singapore more freely.

The segregated travel lane restricts movement, but lets in business, official and high economic value travellers from all countries, as long as their stay is 14 days or shorter.

The lane is expected to increase traffic at Changi Airport, where about 15 per cent of travellers pre-Covid-19 entered the country for business-related reasons.

It should also have knock-on effects on the hospitality sector, which could cater food and provide accommodation for the travellers once they are given approval.

Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, on a tour of Connect @ Changi, one of the facilities that will be used to house travellers in the segregated travel lane, said the new measures will make Singapore more relevant as a business hub amid the unpredictability of Covid-19.

"Global business travel has been severely affected by the need for quarantine measures... Different countries will continue to have different risk profiles and we should not let this hinder business meetings," he said.

"Dedicated facilities can allow Singaporeans to meet (business) travellers from elsewhere. They can also allow (business) travellers from elsewhere to meet each other."

An artist's impression of Connect@ Changi's courtyard. PHOTO: CONNECT@ CHANGI

Based on patterns established last year, roughly nine in 10 of business travellers to Singapore stayed in the country for five days or fewer, hinting at the demand for such expedited, business-specific travel arrangements.

A huge chunk of these travellers are currently not covered by reciprocal green lane arrangements, and have to undergo quarantine before being able to meet their local partners face to face.

Temasek senior managing director Alan Thompson, who was among those helming the Connect @ Changi project, said local employees of multinational companies might not have had a chance to meet their regional heads in person for more than year.

Facilities like Connect @ Changi, which will take in its first guests in February next year, provide businessmen with that opportunity while minimising physical contact.
Connect @ Changi is a four-star facility currently being built at Singapore Expo and Max Atria, about a five-minute drive from Changi Airport.

When fully constructed in mid-2021, more than 1,300 guest rooms and about 340 meeting rooms will be available for booking, with each night costing travellers between $390 and $430 if they are staying for a duration shorter than three days.

Meeting rooms can fit between four and 22 people, and are meant for meetings rather than larger-scale conferences or events. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Meeting rooms can fit between four and 22 people, and are meant for meetings rather than larger-scale conferences or events.
Mr Wong Heang Fine, group chief executive officer of Surbana Jurong, which built Connect @ Changi, said the facility can be quickly repurposed within weeks for other uses post-Covid-19, as it is constructed from pre-fabricated modules.
Connect @ Changi said the facility will create 800 jobs in Singapore in construction and the maintenance and provision of services within the facility.

Mr Chan said MTI will study the demand for the segregated travel lane to assess the number of dedicated facilities needed, and could broaden the use of the lane for medical or family-visiting uses.
Facility operators interested in serving as a segregated facility can submit their proposals through the Singapore Tourism Board by the end of the year.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

The next covid-19 outbreak in Singapore will be imported via the airlines.

Airline crew to undergo more frequent PCR tests and self-isolate after 2 SIA crew members down with Covid-19

CAAS in consultation with MOH, will further tighten the measures for air crew of Singapore carriers with immediate effect.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Timothy Goh
PUBLISHED 31 DEC 2020


SINGAPORE - Crew members of Singapore carriers will have to undergo stricter Covid-19 control measures with immediate effect following the news of a Singapore Airlines (SIA) cabin crew member and an SIA pilot testing positive for the coronavirus.

Announcing this on Wednesday night (Dec 30), the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said it was tightening measures to ensure the safety and well-being of air crew and to safeguard public health in Singapore.

"Air crew face considerable risks in the course of their duties. They do so because it is critical for Singapore to maintain air connectivity. Many essential supplies, such as vaccines, can only be delivered by air. Singaporeans overseas and other essential travellers need to be able to travel to and from Singapore," said CAAS in a statement.

The first case, a cabin crew member, tested positive on Dec 27. He had last flown to New York on SQ24 on Dec 12, and returned to Singapore on Dec 16 aboard SQ23.

He was asymptomatic at the time and was tested on Dec 23 and 25 under the testing protocol for Singapore carriers' air crew when they return from overseas. Both tests were inconclusive but an additional test on Dec 27 returned positive.

CAAS said its preliminary investigation showed that the man had adhered to the mandated in-flight and layover measures, including wearing a mask, minimising contact with passengers and locals, and staying in his hotel room.

During the layover in New York, he interacted with the immigration officer and hotel check-in staff and collected his meal from a hotel staff who delivered it to his room.

All crew members and 16 passengers who were seated in the section of the aircraft cabin served by him have tested negative.

The second case, a pilot, tested positive on Dec 29. He had last flown to London on SQ322 on Dec 19 and returned to Singapore on Dec 22.

He was tested on Dec 23 and received a negative result on Dec 25. But on Dec 26, he developed a fever and went to a clinic for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on Dec 27, which returned positive on Dec 29.

CAAS said its preliminary investigation showed that the pilot had adhered to the same mandated in-flight and layover measures as the first case. He also had no contact with passengers on board the flight.

During the layover in London, he interacted with the immigration officer and hotel check-in staff and also collected his meal from a hotel staff who delivered it to his room.

CAAS said that after consulting with the Ministry of Health, it will now require air crew on layover to further minimise their contact with locals.

For example, food delivered through room service should be left outside the room at the door instead of being handed over.

Those who lay over in high-risk destinations will be required to undergo a PCR tests on arrival and on the third and seventh day following their return to Singapore.

Crew members will be required to self-isolate until they receive a negative result from their seventh-day PCR test.

In addition, crew travelling to and from South Africa will have to don full personal protective equipment (PPE), including N95 masks, face shields, protective gowns and gloves.

 

[rushifa666]

full flights mean UK virus is a plenty. Huat ah! You diseased bastards

 

[Leongsam]

There is no such thing as "safe distancing" unless you're separated from the rest of the world by an ocean or continent.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

My question to the author is how does one safety distance aboard a plane which is technically a confined space. 1 person per row? 1 person per section? The air is circulated within a close system. Etc . So wat difference does it make? Should be assumed u board a plane. You will b infected

 

[laksaboy]

I thought the whole point of wearing a mask is so you do not need to vigilantly distance yourself from others all the time?