Everything About the Closure of Changi Airport T3 Basement 2 & The Measures to be Taken After 8 Cases Were Detected There

It may seem like Changi Airport has been closed for the last year or so, since most of us have not been able to travel.

Some of us have forgotten what the airport looks like, or even what planes look like.

Reader: That’s not even possibl-

But aside from Terminal 2, the airport has been operating as usual, open to the few travellers leaving and arriving in Singapore.

Since potential infections are arriving from abroad, numerous safety measures have been implemented at the airport to protect frontline workers and residents.

Despite this, however, the coronavirus has made its way around the airport, and a certain section will have to close itself as a result.

Changi Airport T3 Basement 2 to Be Closed

Basement 2 of Changi Airport Terminal 3 will be temporarily closed to the public from Monday (10 May) after eight COVID-19 cases were detected there over the last 10 days.

Several of the COVID-19 cases had also visited outlets there, so the authorities will be testing workers in these food and beverage and retail outlets before they can reopen.

These outlets will undergo deep cleaning as well.

But it may be a while before travellers will be able to dine at Basement 2—even after it reopens, these outlets can only provide takeaways to airport staff members.

Only airport workers who cannot have their meals at their place of work will be allowed to dine in special allocated areas.

In a joint statement, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) said that tenants who are affected by the closure will receive rental rebates.

Further Safety Measures Introduced; 9,000 Workers to Undergo COVID-19 Tests

To detect further infections in the airport, around 9,000 workers from Terminal 1, Terminal 3, and Jewel Changi Airport will be swabbed in a special testing operation from Sunday (9 May).

Even with 92% of frontline aviation workers have been vaccinated, the risk of infection remains, CAAS and CAG said.

In addition to the eight frontline workers at the airport who tested positive, another four at Singapore’s seaport have been found to be carrying the virus as well.

All vaccinated frontline airport workers who have earlier been tested every 28 days will now be tested every 14 days as part of rostered routine testing.

The main cleaning contractor for Changi Airport Terminal 3 will also be placed on a “safety time-out” for two weeks after four of its cleaners contracted COVID-19.

The company will only be allowed to resume cleaning of the terminal once its conducted a full safety review, completed refresher training for their cleaners, and imposed segregation at work for their cleaners to minimise mixing.

All workers will also have to test negative for the virus before cleaning can begin.

Yes, not only can we not travel, COVID-19 has been so rampant that we can’t even clean our airport. 

Feature Image: qvist / Shutterstock.com