Essential bank staff in Singapore to get Covid-19 jabs

Singapore

THE Singapore government will be offering Covid-19 vaccines to essential bank staff in the financial sector over several phases.

In response to queries from The Business Times, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Wednesday confirmed that workers involved in "critical operations" have been invited to indicate their interest to be vaccinated.

An MAS spokesperson told BT: "These are key workers involved in operations that enable the continued delivery of essential financial services and support, such as cash withdrawals and deposits, treasury management and payments."

The vaccination programme will be rolled out to the financial sector in phases. It is in line with the recommendations of the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination convened by the Health ministry last October.

This also comes as the first shipment of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Singapore on Wednesday afternoon, marking another step forward in the control of the virus crisis.

Moderna's vaccine is the second Covid-19 vaccine to be approved for use in Singapore, after the Pfizer-BioNTech one last December.

The MAS spokesperson said: "We encourage everyone who has the opportunity to be vaccinated to do so when offered, as mass protection will be a key enabler in allowing us to return to normalcy."

Singapore's largest lender, DBS, has been allocated a "limited number" of vaccines by the government under the vaccination programme for the sector.

A DBS spokesperson told BT: "To protect the well-being of our employees, we will be prioritising vaccinations to those who are at greater risk of exposure."

OCBC's head of operational risk management, Patrick Chew, said the bank will also take part in the vaccination programme.

To support employees who wish to be vaccinated, the bank rolled out the Covid-19 Vaccination Support Programme last month.

The programme includes granting a day off to employees on the day of the vaccination, reimbursements of private-taxi fare to and from the vaccination clinic, and reimbursement of medical-consultation fees and additional paid medical leave in the case of side effects, said Mr Chew.

A virtual session with an infectious-disease specialist for employees to learn more about Covid-19 and the benefits of vaccination has also been organised.

Over at UOB, the lender is "encouraging" staff in essential roles to participate in the government's vaccination programme.

"As advised by the authorities, UOB employees in critical operations necessary to support the functioning of the economy or who deliver essential goods and services will be given priority," said its head of group human resources, Dean Tong.

The bank has also arranged for all employees an educational webinar with an infectious-diseases expert.

Mr Tong said: "We are encouraged by the progress being made globally to fight the virus, and continue to do all that we can to help protect the well-being of our colleagues, customers and the community."

Amol Gupte, Citi Asean head and country officer for Singapore, told BT the bank will also take part in the programme.

"Citi is pleased to support the Singapore government's Covid-19 vaccination strategy. We will fully participate in the vaccination programme for employees performing critical roles required for the financial sector to support the real economy and deliver essential goods and service," he said.