SINGAPORE: From Dec 1, any company or person who requires a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test will be able to do so at approved providers, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday (Nov 10).
This includes individuals who need pre-departure testing before they travel. They no longer need to seek approval from MOH for pre-departure tests, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said at a multi-ministry task force press conference.
Advertisement Advertisement There are currently about 600 general practitioner clinics and private healthcare providers that can provide PCR testing, said Mr Gan. Companies can also procure such services from the approved providers.
[h=3]READ: Singapore may enter Phase 3 before end of the year if ‘all the stars are aligned’: Lawrence Wong[/h][h=3]READ: Singapore to require all foreign inbound travellers from high-risk countries to take pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test[/h]“We know that timely COVID-19 testing, when complemented with safe distancing and safe management measures, is a formidable weapon against the pandemic. Testing is therefore a critical enabler and key strategy in our fight against COVID-19,” the health minister said.
Advertisement Advertisement “Over the months, we have been enhancing our testing capabilities and extending testing to more community groups. To support a wider range of needs as we resume more economic and community activities, we will now make COVID-19 testing more accessible.”
MOH said in a press release it will continue to increase the number of clinics and providers that can administer the tests.
Laboratories, clinics and swab service providers who are interested to provide such COVID-19 testing services at premises beyond a licensed clinic, laboratory or hospital can apply for an off-site COVID-19 testing application, the press release read.
[h=3]READ: ONE Championship to hold live event for 250 spectators; those attending must undergo COVID-19 rapid test[/h] Advertisement Mr Gan also spoke about the use of antigen rapid tests (ART) in the pre-event testing pilots announced in October.
“We will continue to pilot different workflows in various settings, such as at more business-to-business events, live performances, as well as spectator sports, and pre-event testing can form part of our defence strategy against COVID-19,” said the health minister.
A health worker takes a COVID-19 nasal swab test sample from an essential worker in Singapore, Jun 10, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
With more activities expected to resume in Phase 3, Singapore should expect the number of community cases to go up, “perhaps to the low teens, maybe even to the 20s, or upwards in the 30s”, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force with Mr Gan.
“We have to be mentally prepared for that and be ready to ensure that even if the local cases in the community were to rise, they do not form large clusters that are out of control. The key to doing that is to step up our testing capabilities, which we are doing, and now we are making testing more accessible to everyone,” he added.
[h=3]READ: COVID-19: About 25 nightspots to reopen under pilot scheme; business body urges others to pivot or exit[/h]While one case in the community currently “may not have much of a chance” to cause a large COVID-19 cluster, there will be “a lot more” activities in the community when Singapore enters Phase 3.
“People dining in groups of eight, weddings of larger sizes, places of worship with larger gatherings, events with a larger (number of) people coming together. With all of these activities in Phase 3, the risks of clusters forming will go up. It is inevitable, as we have seen in countries everywhere around the world.”
[h=3]BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments[/h]Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram??????
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This includes individuals who need pre-departure testing before they travel. They no longer need to seek approval from MOH for pre-departure tests, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said at a multi-ministry task force press conference.
Advertisement Advertisement There are currently about 600 general practitioner clinics and private healthcare providers that can provide PCR testing, said Mr Gan. Companies can also procure such services from the approved providers.
[h=3]READ: Singapore may enter Phase 3 before end of the year if ‘all the stars are aligned’: Lawrence Wong[/h][h=3]READ: Singapore to require all foreign inbound travellers from high-risk countries to take pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test[/h]“We know that timely COVID-19 testing, when complemented with safe distancing and safe management measures, is a formidable weapon against the pandemic. Testing is therefore a critical enabler and key strategy in our fight against COVID-19,” the health minister said.
Advertisement Advertisement “Over the months, we have been enhancing our testing capabilities and extending testing to more community groups. To support a wider range of needs as we resume more economic and community activities, we will now make COVID-19 testing more accessible.”
MOH said in a press release it will continue to increase the number of clinics and providers that can administer the tests.
Laboratories, clinics and swab service providers who are interested to provide such COVID-19 testing services at premises beyond a licensed clinic, laboratory or hospital can apply for an off-site COVID-19 testing application, the press release read.
[h=3]READ: ONE Championship to hold live event for 250 spectators; those attending must undergo COVID-19 rapid test[/h] Advertisement Mr Gan also spoke about the use of antigen rapid tests (ART) in the pre-event testing pilots announced in October.
“We will continue to pilot different workflows in various settings, such as at more business-to-business events, live performances, as well as spectator sports, and pre-event testing can form part of our defence strategy against COVID-19,” said the health minister.
With more activities expected to resume in Phase 3, Singapore should expect the number of community cases to go up, “perhaps to the low teens, maybe even to the 20s, or upwards in the 30s”, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force with Mr Gan.
“We have to be mentally prepared for that and be ready to ensure that even if the local cases in the community were to rise, they do not form large clusters that are out of control. The key to doing that is to step up our testing capabilities, which we are doing, and now we are making testing more accessible to everyone,” he added.
[h=3]READ: COVID-19: About 25 nightspots to reopen under pilot scheme; business body urges others to pivot or exit[/h]While one case in the community currently “may not have much of a chance” to cause a large COVID-19 cluster, there will be “a lot more” activities in the community when Singapore enters Phase 3.
“People dining in groups of eight, weddings of larger sizes, places of worship with larger gatherings, events with a larger (number of) people coming together. With all of these activities in Phase 3, the risks of clusters forming will go up. It is inevitable, as we have seen in countries everywhere around the world.”
[h=3]BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments[/h]Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram??????
Let's block ads! (Why?)
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