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Singapore to test workers in specific sectors every 14 days as part of rostered routine testing

Singapore to test workers in specific sectors every 14 days as part of rostered routine testing

Around 15,000 employers (78%) of workers staying in dormitories, and workers in the construction, marine and process sectors and personnel who go into the work sites in Singapore have logged in to the Health Promotion Board’s Swab Registration System (SRS) since it was launched on 1 August 2020 to schedule their workers for Rostered Routine Testing (RRT).

RRT is part of the safeguards to ensure the safe restart of work, where workers in the sectors mentioned above are required to undergo testing every 14 days. 

Essentially RRT includes the following categories of workers:

  1. Migrant workers residing in Purpose-Built dormitories, Factory-Converted dormitories, Construction Temporary Quarters, Temporary Occupational Licence premises and Temporary Living Quarters.
  2. All migrant workers in the construction, marine and process sectors, unless they are working in company office premises.
  3. RRT does not apply to recently recovered workers (less than 180 days from date of symptoms onset or detection of infection).
  4. Workers should also not go for the RRT swab if they are on Home Quarantine Order (HQO), Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or 5-day Medical Leave. Employers should schedule these workers for RRT only after they complete their quarantine, SHN or medical leave.
  5. Employers should not send workers who are not required to be tested for testing.
  6. Workers who are on medical leave for fever, cough, runny nose or sore throat should not go for their RRT appointment. Workers who are on medical leave for other reasons can and should go for the swab test.

To date, there remains 118,000 workers who need to undergo RRT and have not yet been scheduled.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has reminded employers to quickly schedule their workers if they have not done so. The ministry is planning to update the AccessCode System such that workers who are required to undergo RRT but fail to do so will have a Red AccessCode. To turn the AccessCode status Green again, the worker will need to undergo his swab test.

MOM added: "To avoid disruption to business operations, employers are advised to schedule appointment slots for their workers early so that they can secure a testing date at their preferred location. Once the workers have been scheduled under the SRS for the first time, they will be automatically assigned new dates for future RRT swabs."

Going forward, employers should log in to the Swab Registration System (SRS) regularly to check if there are new workers whom they need to schedule appointments for. 

FAQs on sector-specific swabbing requirements:

For further FAQs, do click here.

Photo / 123RF

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