Short-term visitors in Singapore must pay for Covid-19 treatment

Singapore

FOREIGNERS who are on short-term visit pass have had to pay for their Covid-19 treatment in Singapore from March 7, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday.

This comes as the ministry reported 10 new confirmed cases, including three imported cases, two of which involved foreign visitors.

These bring Singapore's confirmed coronavirus cases to 160.

"In view of the rising number of Covid-19 infections globally and the expected rise in the number of confirmed cases in Singapore, we will need to prioritise the resources at our public hospitals," MOH said in a statement.

However, the ministry said it will continue to waive Covid-19 testing fees for all short-term visit pass holders, as part of Singapore's public health measures to identify and initiate contact tracing for confirmed cases who may have been infectious while in Singapore.

Covid-19 testing fees and treatment will continue to be free for Singapore residents and long-term pass holders admitted to public hospitals.

One of the imported cases is an Indonesian national who arrived in Singapore on March 7, after reporting onset of symptoms while in Indonesia on Feb 28. The second is a Singapore citizen who was visiting her sister with pneumonia in Indonesia from Feb 25 to 28. The third is a British national who arrived on March 6.

As for the local cases, six are linked to the private dinner function at Safra Jurong on Feb 15, the largest cluster in Singapore so far. One is linked to the cluster at The Life Church and Missions Singapore.

Separately, Grab confirmed on Monday that one employee based in its corporate office at Marina One West Tower tested positive for Covid-19 on March 7.

The employee, who is currently in hospital receiving treatment, does not handle any day-to-day operations at the firm's frontline premises, said Grab.

All levels of Grab's Marina One offices were closed immediately, and deep cleaning and disinfecting were carried out on March 7. Marina One's building management sanitised the lifts and common areas in the West Tower over the weekend.

Grab employees working in the affected offices have been asked to work from home until March 11. Grab said it is working closely with the authorities to conduct detailed contact tracing with employees and other parties who may have come into close contact with the patient.

Grab did not say how many employees work at its Marina One office, citing company policy. It also did not respond directly to queries about whether any employees were asked to take a 14-day leave of absence.

The news follows another case at Marina One last week. A staff member working at Facebook's Singapore office in Marina One was on March 6 diagnosed with Covid-19, AFP reported.

"The health and well-being of our employees, customers and partners are a top priority for us. Grab will continue to closely monitor the situation and is ready to implement additional precautionary measures to manage the risk of infection, while ensuring minimal impact on our business operations," said Grab.