Jewel Changi Airport, Terminals 1 and 3 closed to public for 14 days

Jewel Changi Airport, as well as Terminals 1 and 3 will be closed to the public for 14 days from Thursday (May 13) after a surge of COVID-19 cases linked to the airport. 

Only essential workers will be allowed entry, along with passengers with air tickets, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) on Wednesday. 

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

Changi Airport remains open for air travel during this period. 

All three locations will reopen on May 27, although an extension of the closure has not been ruled out. 

“Given the evolving nature of COVID-19, we will continue to review and adjust the measures as necessary, including extending the closure if required,” said authorities. 

A special testing operation for 9,000 workers at the airport has been ongoing since May 9, as authorities try to root out any hidden COVID-19 cases. 

The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Wednesday also announced free testing for members of the public who had visited Terminal 3 from May 3 onwards. 

This is to pre-emptively mitigate any potential risk of wider, undetected community transmission, it said. 

“MOH will progressively inform these individuals via SMS notification with information on how to book an appointment for their test,” said MOH. 

Individuals who had visited Terminal 1 and Jewel from May 3 are also advised to monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit. 

“They are strongly encouraged to visit a regional screening centre or Swab and Send Home Public Health Preparedness Clinic for a free COVID-19 test if they feel unwell,” said MOH.

There are currently 25 cases linked to the Changi Airport cluster. The Kopitiam at Changi Airport Terminal 3 was also visited multiple times by COVID-19 cases over the past week.