All MOE teachers must take weekly Covid-19 tests for eight weeks
All Ministry of Education (MOE) teachers must take weekly antigen rapid tests (ARTs) for eight weeks, in line with the nation's efforts to step up regular testing for Covid-19 and keep the community safe.
An MOE spokesman told The Straits Times on Thursday (Jan 20) that this testing regime has been progressively rolled out since this month, and that all public officers will be doing the same as well.
The tests will be self-administered, added the spokesman.
In August last year, MOE said school staff working in higher-risk settings would be required to undergo regular testing using ART kits as part of the fast and easy testing regime.
On Thursday, the MOE spokesman said the timeline of eight weeks does not apply to such staff, which include those working in primary schools or settings where they have to remove their masks.
Such staff will still be required to take weekly self-administered ARTs after the eight-week period is over.
MOE's move is in addition to other precautions that schools are already taking such as daily temperature taking, frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces, and limits on group sizes.
It also comes amid a nationwide emphasis on regular Covid-19 testing, as the Omicron variant continues to spread throughout the globe.
In June last year, the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19 said in an Opinion piece in The Straits Times that testing would continue to be needed in the new normal, even as Singapore learns to live with the coronavirus.
"Domestically, testing will be less of a tool for ring-fencing and quarantining people exposed to infected persons. Instead, it would be to ensure that events, social activities and overseas trips can take place safely; as well as to reduce transmission risks, especially to those who are vulnerable to infections," wrote the task force, which added that testing would have to be made fast and easy.
On Dec 26 last year, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that as more employees return to their workplaces from the start of this year, there may be a higher risk of Covid-19 transmission in the workplace, especially given the higher transmissibility of the Omicron variant.
"While our workforce is highly vaccinated and hence protected from severe disease, we encourage all firms to implement regular testing for all employees. This will help to detect possible Covid-19 infection early and allow individuals who test positive to take precautions to self-isolate and protect their family, friends and colleagues," said MOH at the time.
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