Starting January 1, 2022, only fully vaccinated employees will be allowed to return to office in Singapore.
According to the Health Ministry of the island, those who are not inoculated but have tested negative before entering the workplace (provided the test has been done by an approved institution) may be exempted. However, they will have to bear the costs of the tests, and such test results will only be valid for 24 hours.
Exemption may also be made for those who have recovered from COVID-19 in the past 270 days.
Those who cannot be inoculated due to medical reasons will also be exempted. Companies have been asked to give special consideration to such people by allowing them the liberty to work from home.
Restrictions related to the pandemic will remain in place for another month in Singapore as cases have gone up. Presently, those who have not been fully vaccinated are not allowed entry into malls, food outlets and tourist spots. These restrictions, it is hoped, will encourage more people to get the jab.
The Singapore government will relax these restrictions after a month, only after taking into account the rate at which infections are increasing, the percentage of the population showing serious symptoms and the rate of occupancy at hospitals.
Singapore has approved the Chinese Sinovac vaccines in its countrywide vaccination programme.
