Covid-19: Jewel Changi Airport to close for 2 weeks, restricted access to all passenger terminal buildings

SINGAPORE — Jewel Changi Airport and all the airport’s passenger terminal buildings will be closed to the public for 14 days from Thursday (May 13) until May 27, now that there is a growing Covid-19 cluster linked to a cleaner who worked to Terminal 3.

In a joint media release on Wednesday evening, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) said that the temporary closure of Jewel Changi Airport and restricted entry to the terminal buildings is done as a precaution while a special testing operation of workers there is ongoing.

“This is to quickly detect, isolate and treat any potential Covid-19 cases in the airport community.” 

Jewel Changi Airport, a retail and leisure complex within the airport grounds, is popular among residents living in the eastern part of Singapore.

CAAS and CAG added: “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.

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

Since May 8, all workers at Terminals 1 and 3 as well as at Jewel Changi Airport have been undergoing mandatory Covid-19 tests conducted by the Ministry of Health.

There are 26 community cases so far linked to an 88-year-old cleaner, including seven announced on Wednesday. Another past infection, a landscaper who works for NParks, has been linked to the airport cluster as well.

The cleaner, a Singaporean man, was confirmed to have Covid-19 on May 5.

CAAS and CAG stressed that Changi Airport remains open for air travel during this period.

Passengers can continue to be dropped off and picked up from the airport.

Access to the passenger terminal buildings will be restricted to only passengers with air tickets and essential airport workers.

CAAS and CAG said that some essential services and food-and-beverage outlets will remain open to serve them.

“For clarity, members of the public will not be allowed to enter the passenger terminal buildings,” they said.

From Monday, the second basement level of Changi Airport Terminal 3 was already closed to the public temporarily while the airport bumped up safety measures following the discovery of Covid-19 cases in recent days. 

Operations at the airport's Terminals 2 and 4 have been suspended since May last year due to a sharp fall in air travel caused by the pandemic.

In their statement on Wednesday, CAAS and CAG said that aviation workers will “continue to do their best to secure Singapore’s borders while ensuring that Singapore stays connected to the world even during the pandemic”.