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Employers of all construction, marine shipyard, and process (CMP) S Pass and work permit holders will not be allowed to make new applications to enter Singapore via the Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) with effect from Dec. 4 at 11.59pm, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a statement.

Employers of dormitory-bound work pass holders are also not allowed to make new applications for them to enter Singapore via VTLs.

Workers coming in via VTL prior to the date can enter Singapore

MOM added that CMP workers, and other workers who stay in dormitories, who had obtained approval prior to the effective date to enter Singapore via VTLs, will still be allowed to do so.

They will need to take an on-arrival Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (OAT-PCR) test and self-isolate while waiting for the results.

Those who test negative will go through the five-day onboarding programme.

In addition, MOM said that Malaysians and female work pass holders will still be allowed to enter Singapore via VTLs be subjected to the prevailing VTL health protocols in Singapore.

According to MOM, this is because individuals generally do not reside in dormitories.

Workers to enter via ongoing industry initiatives, or Work Pass Holder Green Lane

CMP workers and other workers who stay in dormitories should enter Singapore via ongoing industry initiatives, for example, programmes with upstream testing and isolation in the source country, or the Work Pass Holder General Lane, MOM said.

The ministry added that the number of workers entering under these lanes "meet industry needs", while allowing entry of these workers to be done at a pace where they can be safely onboarded before entering the dormitories and worksites, as these are higher risk settings.

According to MOM, the onboarding programme is an existing requirement for new CMP workers, which includes the verification of vaccination, medical examination, and settling in programme.

MOM added that more information will be shared with employers.

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Top image by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images