Everything You Need to Know about the Closure of Changi Airport & Jewel

Unless you work there or enjoy seeing things you desperately want but cannot have, you’ve probably not been to Changi Airport for the last year or so.

Your passport, much like your luggage bag, is hidden away somewhere in your house collecting dust while sobbing gently.

Thanks to the coronavirus, countries have been forced to impose border restrictions for fear of imported infections spilling over into the community.

With the lack of international travel, Changi Airport may as well have been closed for the last 14 months.

But now, it really is closing thanks to an alarming outbreak in one of its terminals.

Changi Airport & Jewel to Close For 2 Weeks

Terminals 1 and 3 of Changi Airport as well as Jewel will be closed to members of the public from Thursday (13 May) for two weeks, due to a growing cluster linked to the airport.

All workers in the shopping mall and two terminals have been undergoing mandatory COVID-19 tests in a special testing operation since last Sunday (9 May).

While this is going on, the passenger terminals buildings will be closed to members of the public as a precaution, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) said in a joint statement yesterday (12 May).

Jewel and Terminals 1 and 3 will reopen on 27 May. Terminal 2 has been closed since 1 May last year (not that any of us noticed).

Airport Remains Open to Travellers

This closure doesn’t mean travellers can’t enter the airport to board their plane, of course.

Changi Airport will remain open to travellers, who can still be dropped off and picked up at the airport.

Only essential airport workers and passengers with air tickets will be granted access to the passenger terminal buildings, however.

“Some essential services and food and beverage outlets will remain open to serve them,” CAAS and CAG said.

9,000 Airport Workers Undergoing Testing

Under the special testing operation, around 9,000 workers from Terminal 1, Terminal 3, and Jewel Changi Airport will undergo COVID-19 testing.

As a further precaution, all vaccinated frontline airport workers will now be tested every 14 days as part of rostered routine testing, instead of every 28 days.

CAAS and CAG urged these workers to avoid going out unless absolutely necessary.

“We urge all airport workers as well as staff working in Jewel to refrain from going out except for essential work or activities for the next 14 days or until they have been tested negative for COVID-19. They should also not be redeployed to other workplaces or outlets during this period,” they said.

Free Testing For Those Who Visited Terminal 3

Visited Terminal 3 recently and worried about the risk of infection? Well, you might be able to get a free COVID-19 test.

Yesterday (12 May), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said it will offer free testing for members of the public who had visited Terminal 3 from 3 May onwards.

This is part of MOH’s efforts to “pre-emptively mitigate any potential risk of wider, undetected community transmission.”

If eligible, you will be informed via SMS with information on how to book an appointment for your test.

While there are no free tests for those who visited Terminal 1 and Jewel, they are also advised to monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit.

MOH urged them to visit a regional screening centre or Public Health Preparedness Clinic for a free COVID-19 test if they feel unwell.

7 New Community Infections Linked to Changi Airport Cluster

So, why are the authorities closing these places to the public? Well, infections linked to the airport cluster are showing no signs of slowing down.

It all began when a 63-year-old cleaner at Terminal 3 developed a sore throat on 3 May, but did not report his symptoms.

It was another cleaner – an 88-year-old man – who was the first confirmed case in the cluster after he saw a GP for a runny nose and cough and was tested.

Since then, more and more airport workers have tested positive for COVID-19, including security officers, cleaners, and officers from the Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

Just yesterday, 7 more cases in the community were linked to the Changi Airport cluster.

They are:

• a 24-year-old male Singaporean who is employed by Huawei Enterprise as an IT engineer and works at Changi Airport Terminal 4
•  a 62-year-old male Singaporean who is employed by Ramky Cleantech Services Pte Ltd as a cleaner and trolley handler at Changi Airport Terminal 3
• a 28-year-old male Singaporean who is employed by Certis Cisco as an aviation security officer at Changi Airport Terminal 3
• a 42-year-old male Singaporean who works as a sales associate at a retail store at Changi Airport Terminal 3

Three of them have also tested preliminarily positive for the B1617 variant:

•  a 39-year-old male Singaporean who works as an ICA officer at Changi Airport Terminal 3
•  a 38-year-old female Singaporean who works as an ICA officer at Changi Airport Terminal 3
• a 65-year-old male Singaporean who is employed by Ramky Cleantech Services Pte Ltd as a cleaner at Changi Airport Terminal 3

MOH also provided an update on a previous case – a 47-year-old Singaporean who works as a landscaper at the National Parks Board (NParks).

Epidemiological investigations have revealed that the man is linked to the Changi Airport cluster.

The man had visited Terminal 3 on 3 May and 4 May and visited the same locations as two previous cases – a 47-year-old cleaner and a 33-year-old safety coordinator – during their infectious period.

With this man and the 7 new community infections, the number of cases in the Changi Airport cluster has grown to 26. 

Hopefully, the closure will stem the worrisome outbreak.

Featured Image: Sing Studio / Shutterstock.com