As Singapore reopens the economy after Phase 2 Heightened Alert, authorities have implemented vaccination-differentiated safety measures.
On Monday (23 Aug), Singapore’s tripartite partners – the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) – urged employers to adopt a ‘Vaccinate or Regular Test” regime.
As part of this, employers can ask unvaccinated staff to pay for regular testing.
This applies only to staff who are medically eligible but choose not to be vaccinated.
On Monday (23 Aug) afternoon, Singapore’s tripartite partners urged all employers to implement a regime for staff to get vaccinated or undergo regular testing.
They added that employers might ask medically eligible staff who choose not to get vaccinated to pay for Covid-19 related expenses.
This includes test kits and stay-home notice accommodations, according to a media release by the Ministry of Manpower.
These expenses can be covered through salary deductions or by asking employees to pay relevant service providers directly.
In addition, employers can also choose to exclude unvaccinated staff from Covid-19 linked medical benefits.
This move aims to expand Singapore’s vaccine coverage to “optimise our resilience against Covid-19.”
This new advisory will supersede the advisory issued on 2 Jul.
Back then, the tripartite partners said employers could make vaccination a requirement for staff in higher-risk environments.
They elaborated that a higher vaccine rate or regular testing will protect staff whilst making workplaces more resilient.
However, they emphasised that employers should not threaten to terminate or terminate a staff based on vaccination status.
Termination is only allowed if an unvaccinated staff refuses to comply with reasonable vaccination-differentiated workplace measures.
The ‘Vaccinate or Regular Test” regime was first introduced by Finance Minister Lawrence Wong earlier this month.
It requires unvaccinated workers to get tested twice a week using antigen rapid tests.
From 1 Oct onwards, higher-risk sectors will be subjected to this regime, including:
Vaccinations are not mandatory in Singapore, but authorities have constantly pushed for more to get vaccinated if they’re medically eligible.
For the unvaccinated, having to bear the costs of tests themselves might be a heavy expense.
What do you think of this new advisory? Let us know in the comments.
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Featured image adapted from Singapore General Hospital on Facebook.
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