Changi Airport Terminal 3 Basement 2 (T3 B2) will be closed to the public temporarily with effect from May 10, 2021.

This follows reports of several Covid-19 cases having visited the outlets there.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) announced this in a joint release on Sunday (May 9).

F&B staff need to be tested negative before opening

Other than deep cleaning of the airport, staff in food and beverage (F&B) and retail outlets need to be tested negative before the outlets can reopen and serve any customers.

When all F&B outlets in T3 B2 are reopened, they will only be allowed to provide take-aways to airport staff.

Dining-in will not be allowed, except in special allocated areas for airport workers who are unable to consume their meals in their place of work.

Rental rebates will be provided to affected tenants to provide financial support. CAG will be reaching out directly to affected tenants.

More frequent testing for frontline airport staff

While 92 per cent of frontline aviation workers have been vaccinated, the joint press release acknowledged that the risk of infection still remains.

About 9,000 workers in Changi Airport’s Terminals 1 and 3 (Terminal 2 is not operating), as well as in Jewel Changi Airport, will undergo a mandatory Covid-19 test in a special testing operation which started yesterday.

In addition, all vaccinated frontline airport workers who were previously tested for Covid-19 every 28 days as part of their Rostered Routine Testing (RRT) will now be tested every 14 days.

This is to quickly detect, isolate and treat any potential Covid-19 cases amongst workers in the airport.

The cluster involving personnel at Changi Airport Terminals 1 & 3

As of May 9, the cluster comprising workers at Changi Airport Terminals 1 and 3 has eight cases.

Ramky Cleantech Services Pte Ltd, Changi Airport Terminal 3's main cleaning contractor, will be placed on a safety time-out for 14 days with effect from May 10, 2021 after the detection of four Covid-19 positive cases amongst its cleaners.

During this period, the contractor will be required to conduct a full safety review, complete a refresher training for their cleaners, and reinforce segregation arrangements for their cleaners to minimise mixing at work.

Cleaning in Terminal 3’s public areas will only resume when all these requirements have been met and all its staff have tested negative for Covid-19.

Separately, the airport's main security service provider will also step up its Safe Management Measures (SMMs) after two of its airport staff were diagnosed with Covid-19.

It will reinforce training and pre-operations briefings for its frontline staff at the airport, to emphasise the correct methods of donning and doffing for personal protective equipment (PPE) and SMMs in the airport.

"We need to protect our frontliners in order to protect the rest of Singapore.", Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung said when he posted about the enhanced safety measures at Changi Airport.

Image from Singapore Changi Airport.