Mode of Transport for Travellers Arriving into Singapore without COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction Results
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song’s inquiry regarding transport modes for arriving travellers awaiting COVID-19 PCR results and the potential risk of community transmission. Minister for Transport S Iswaran explained that high-risk travellers must take dedicated private charter buses to Stay-Home Notice facilities, where drivers wear full personal protective equipment and maintain buffer zones. These buses operate at half capacity and undergo regular disinfection, while drivers are fully vaccinated and subject to routine testing to ensure frontline worker safety. While lower-risk travellers may take private transport to isolate at home, high-risk passengers are strictly managed through these dedicated, multi-layered health protocols. Finally, the Minister noted that recorded COVID-19 cases among taxi drivers were typically linked to community exposures rather than the passengers they had previously transported.
Transcript
14 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether travellers arriving into Singapore at all air, land and sea entry points who have yet to receive their COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test results are permitted to take modes of transport where they will be within two metres of drivers or other passengers; (b) if so, whether this practice risks community transmission of imported infections; and (c) whether these passengers can instead be provided dedicated transport to a Stay-Home Notice dedicated facility with drivers wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.
The Minister for Transport (Mr S Iswaran): Mr Speaker, all travellers from high-risk places are required to take dedicated transport to their assigned facility to serve their Stay-Home Notice (SHN) while waiting for the results. To minimise the risk of cross-infection and community spread, strict public health protocols are applied.
First, these private charter buses only ferry travellers from the checkpoints to the SHN facility. No other passengers are allowed to board. After every trip, the buses are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
Second, the bus drivers are trained to don the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) including an N95 face mask, PPE gown and gloves. They are also fully vaccinated and subject to regular routine COVID-19 testing.
Third, strict safe distancing measures are imposed. Travellers are not allowed to sit near the driver and they only occupy the rear section of the vehicle. I have, in fact, seen this first hand, so they are all seated to the rear of the vehicle and the front half creates a buffer zone with respect to the driver. The number of travellers allowed on each bus is also limited to less than half its total capacity to ensure adequate safe distancing between travellers.
These measures are part of a multi-layered approach we take to protect our borders and frontline transport workers. In addition, all travellers from high-risk countries would need to have a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken not more than 72 hours before boarding a plane, ferry or vehicle bound for Singapore.
With the evolving nature of the virus, we regularly review the full suite of public health measures for international travellers and also to protect our frontline workers.
Mr Speaker: Mr Gerald Giam.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): Sir, I would like to seek some clarifications from the Minister. I understand that there are private charter buses. But since the start of this year, have there been any incoming passengers who do not take these private charter buses but instead take taxis or private hire cars to their homes or SHN facilities?
My second question is: have any taxi drivers or private hire drivers caught COVID-19 while ferrying incoming passengers from the airport to the SHN facilities or homes?
Mr S Iswaran: Mr Speaker, can passengers take taxis or private vehicles to their homes? As I said, the protocols that we have in place are for the higher risk countries. So, those who are from, say, some of the countries deemed to be less risky, they still, on arrival, have to undertake what we call an on-arrival PCR test. And then thereafter, they can take the relevant form of transport to their home and then they have to wait for the results and so on. So, there may be instances of that which the Member may be referring to.
But the key point I would make is that for those who are from the higher risk countries, based on the categorisation we discussed earlier, the approach is to have dedicated transport from the airport to the SHN facility, so that the mode of transport is as secure as possible from a health perspective.
Have taxi drivers caught COVID-19? I believe there have been some cases but is it because of the passenger they ferried or not, I do not have an answer for that. I am quite happy to have it verified if the Member wishes to file a question. But I do know that in many cases, it is more because of some other community link that they have, because of a place they went to in the community and so on, and that is how they were linked to the COVID-19 virus.