Singapore saw new Covid-19 clusters emerge this past month. One of them is the Changi Airport cluster.

Since then, some concerns about the safe management measures at Changi Airport have been raised, particularly with regards to the well-being of airport workers.

Multiple risk-based measures already put in place

In response to media queries, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Changi Airport Group (CAG) said in a joint statement that since the onset of Covid-19, the airport community has put in place "multiple risk-based measures" to protect airport workers.

These include segregation, vaccinations, protection and regular testing of airport workers, which were implemented in close consultation with the Ministry of Health (MOH).

The statement also said that the segregation measures to minimise interaction have been in place since March 2020.

Handling passengers from higher risk countries

In addition to the safety measures for workers, passengers from higher risk countries are processed separately from other passengers.

They are then escorted from the time they disembark till they board their dedicated ground transport to serve their stay-home notice (SHN).

CAAS and CAG said that all airport workers are also required to adhere strictly to the personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, which are "benchmarked to healthcare protocols and tiered by risks".

Workers handling flights from the highest risk countries don the full suite of N95 masks, face shield, medical gown and gloves.

CAAS and CAG added in their statement that the airport workers have been trained to properly don, doff and dispose their PPEs.

They are constantly reminded to take extra care when doing so at special facilities in the airport.

"These measures meet if not exceed international best practices, including those laid out by International Civil Aviation Organisation and Airports Council International," the statement said.

Strengthening safety measures due to new Covid-19 strain

With the recent emergence of a more transmissible Covid-19 strain, the safety measures at the airport have since been strengthened.

Segregation has been enhanced to reduce exposure of airport workers handling higher risk passengers to the rest of the airport community.

These workers are split into different cohorts, and will only use separate toilets and rest areas within the higher risk zone.

They have also been put on a seven-day Rostered Routine Testing (RRT) cycle, and additional Antigen Rapid Test (ART) will be introduced between the RRT cycles.

CAAS and CAG added that the safety of their airport workers and safeguarding the public health have "always been [their] top priorities".

"Our airport frontline workers have been working tirelessly over the past 16 months, doing their best to secure our borders while ensuring Singapore stays connected to the world.

We hope that Singaporeans will continue to give the airport community their full support in this difficult period."

Top image by Shawn Ang via Unsplash.