Considering the growing number of cases among its cleaners, Ramky Cleantech Services, which is the main cleaning contractor for Changi Airport Terminal 3, was placed on a safety time-out.

The time-out began on May 10 and will last for 14 days.

During this period, the cleaning contractor will be required to do a full safety review and to do a refresher training for its cleaners. They will also have to reinforce segregation among their cleaners to minimise mixing between groups. 

On May 10, the airport also closed basement two at Terminal 3 to the public after several Covid-19 cases visited outlets there. 

Related: Younger People to be Invited to Receive Covid-19 Vaccinations From Late May 2021

On May 8, it was announced that a student from Victoria Junior College had tested positive for Covid-19. The case was later linked to the Changi Airport cluster after it was discovered that the student had visited the Kopitiam food court at Changi Airport Terminal 3 on the same day as two other cases.

The case resulted in 95 students and eight staff members who had been in close contact with the student being placed on a quarantine order. 

About 2,200 staff, vendors, visitors and students were also required to undergo Covid-19 swab tests. The school also moved to full home-based learning from May 10 to May 14. 

On May 13, it was announced that all students, staff members and vendors had tested negative for the virus and that physical lessons will resume on May 17. 

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On May 12, it was announced by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) that Jewel and all Changi Airport passenger terminal buildings will be closed to the public from May 13. The closure will remain in place for two weeks and may be extended should the situation worsen. 

That said, while Jewel will remain completely closed, some staff and travellers are still allowed to access the terminal buildings.

Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) added in a statement that "Changi Airport remains open for air travel during this period. Passengers may also continue to be dropped off and picked up from the airport. Access to the passenger terminal buildings will be restricted to only passengers with air tickets and essential airport workers. Some essential services and food and beverage outlets will remain open to serve them."

All airport workers and staff in Jewel have also been told to avoid going out except for essential work or activities for the next two weeks until they test negative for the virus. 

They should also not be sent to other workplaces or outlets during this two week period. 

During this two week closure, the terminals will be getting a deep clean. Staff who are working at the stores in the terminals and airports will also need to test negative for the virus before they are allowed to reopen. 

The authorities added that rental rebates and other arrangements will be put into place to minimise the financial impact of this closure on shops and staff.

Related: Singapore Tops Covid-19 Resilience Ranking, Making it the Safest Place During the Pandemic

If you visited Changi Airport Terminal 3 from May 3 onwards, you are eligible for a free Covid-19 test. In an announcement that was made on May 12, the Ministry of Health said that it would progressively inform individuals of when they can book a test appointment through SMS. 

This is to hopefully prevent wider, undetected community transmission. 

Related: Covid-19 Vaccine: You Can Now Choose Between Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna in Singapore

From May 9, Changi Airport began testing over 9,000 workers to detect any hidden cases among its airport workers. 

They also announced that vaccinated frontline airport staff will now be tested every 14 days. They were previously being tested every 28 days. 

The authorities are also pushing to vaccinate the rest of their medically eligible workers in the airport as soon as possible. 

92 per cent of frontline aviation workers have been vaccinated, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG)

Related: Singapore-Hong Kong Travel Bubble to Launch on May 26