Getting Vaccinated Is Now Mandatory To Return To Office In Singapore
SINGAPORE – The government has withdrawn the exemption of permitting uninoculated employees to return to their workplace next year if they can show a negative COVID-19 test result, reported TodayOnline on Monday morning (27 December, SGT).
Effective 15 January 2022, only vaccinated workers will be allowed to return to their office, announced the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday night (26 December).
Previously, Singapore’s government announced a vaccinate or regular testing policy for employees starting 1 January 2022, but had earlier stated that they would reassess the concession for unvaccinated workers. Thereafter, MOH decided to withdraw the concession after consulting both labour and employer groups.
As for partially inoculated staff, including those who have taken only 1 dose of the 2-dose mRNA vaccine, will have until 31 January to complete their vaccination. During this period, they are permitted to go to their office as long as they show a negative pre-event test result from 1 January 2022.
“This change will help to protect unvaccinated individuals and to create safer workplaces for everyone,” explained the Ministry of Health.
Aside from that, being inoculated will be made a requisite for those applying as permanent residents (PRs) as well as those applying for long-term passes and work passes from 1 February 2022. This will also be made a condition for the renewal of existing work passes.
The Ministry of Health revealed that the vaccination statuses of prospective PRs, student pass applicants, long-term visit pass applicants will be confirmed during the pass issuance process, whereas employers of work pass holders and their dependents will be required to make a declaration of vaccination and show vaccination certificates as part of the verification process.
Furthermore, the verification process may also include undergoing serology tests to determine the presence of antibodies following inoculation. Should they test negative, applicants will need to complete the full vaccination regimen in Singapore before their application is approved.
