All pre-school staff to take Covid-19 swab test before centres reopen on June 2

SINGAPORE - All pre-school staff will undergo a one-time swab test for Covid-19 starting from Friday (May 15) before centres reopen on June 2.

The test would cover principals, teachers and educarers, or those who look after infants and toddlers.

It also includes non-programme staff like cleaners and cooks, as well as relief and new staff starting work in June, to be sure that they are not infected before they start working.

The Early Childhood Development Agency's (ECDA) chief licensing officer Jamie Ang had announced the need for swab tests in a circular to operators on Wednesday.

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) will conduct the tests for staff between Friday and May 26, at four swabbing centres located in polytechnics, at areas segregated from the rest of the campus.

In the circular seen by The Straits Times, Ms Ang said that to allow faster testing, a pooled approach will be used, where swab samples from up to five individuals will tested in one batch, instead of individually.

Non-anchor operator pre-schools will need to register their staff in groups of five for the exercise, while anchor operator headquarters are coordinating directly with the HPB and ECDA to schedule appointments.

Most staff will only be required to do one swab test, but a small number may have to return for a second individual test if the first batch test is positive, she said.

Children will not be tested as evidence indicates they are typically infected by adults, and not by their peers, she added.

The Government will bear the cost of the one-time swab test exercise, given the sizeable number of staff involved.

Teaching and programme staff alone account for about 25,000 in the pre-school sector.

The ECDA said that as Singapore looks to gradually resume services safely, testing and monitoring will be stepped up especially in priority groups like seniors and children.

Hence testing has been prioritised for the pre-school sector, as staff have close and constant contact with young children in an enclosed setting.

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Staff are only allowed to make their way to the four swabbing centres via an authorised shuttle bus, which they can take from nearby MRT stations at Woodlands, Tampines West, Dover and Khatib.

"We recognise that these tests bring inconvenience to pre-schools and staff, but we seek your understanding that this will help to better safeguard the wellbeing of children and staff in pre-schools as we look at the opening up of general services," said ECDA.

To reassure staff and families on a longer term basis, individuals at a higher risk of infection, such as children and staff returning from Stay Home Notices, may have to undergo further testing before returning to pre-school.

A number of pre-schools had to be closed earlier after reporting Covid-19 infections. The disease had, until May 7, infected 57 children - those aged 16 and younger - in Singapore.

The tests are the latest precautionary measures implemented since January to keep the pre-school community safe.

Earlier measures include the restriction of visitors, suspension of large group and communal activities, tighter and more frequent health checks, and requiring travel declarations from all staff, children and visitors.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.