SINGAPORE — Despite its best efforts, Singapore will be exposed to new waves of Covid-19 infection and has to be prepared for a new surge in cases, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said as it announced a new swab test for travellers.

From 11.59pm on Wednesday (March 4), travellers entering Singapore and exhibiting fever or other symptoms of respiratory illness but do not meet the clinical suspect case definition for Covid-19 may be required to undergo a swab test for the disease at the immigration checkpoints, MOH said in a statement.

They may carry on their journey immediately after taking the swab test.

However, while waiting for the results — which may take between three and six hours — these travellers are advised to minimise contact with others as a precautionary measure.

They will be contacted by the authorities on the result of their swab test and those who test positive will be taken to hospital in a designated ambulance.

Short-term visitors who are identified for testing but refuse to undertake it will not be allowed entry into Singapore, MOH said.

Singapore permanent residents (PRs) and long-term pass holders who refuse the test may have their immigration facilities and work pass privileges revoked or the validity shortened.

All travellers, including Singapore citizens, who do not comply with the testing or who cannot be contacted afterwards may face penalties and be prosecuted under the Infectious Disease Act.

The deployment of the swab test kit at checkpoints will further increase Singapore’s likelihood of detecting imported cases at the point of entry, MOH said.

But as with any test, a negative result does not completely rule out the possibility of infection.

Speaking to reporters, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, who chairs the multi-ministry taskforce for Covid-19, said that despite Singapore's "very best efforts", it has to be mentally prepared for the number of infected cases here to go up. 

"We have been used to... the experience so far in these past few days in Singapore, where the number of cases rises by just a handful every day and (people have) become accustomed to it in a way. But this may not be the norm, and it can change very easily," he said.

"You see this in other countries, too, where there were very few cases for a few days and then suddenly, one incident occurs, one event occurs, and there is a sharp spike in cases and sustained transmission. This has happened elsewhere. It can happen in Singapore, too."

Mr Wong added that the laboratories which test for the virus will have sufficient capacity, though that will depend on the number of passengers who come into Singapore showing symptoms.

Singapore will also continue to prepare government quarantine facilities, Mr Wong said.

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MOH added that the virus is spreading quickly around the world and there are likely to be many undetected cases in countries that are not undertaking proactive testing.

“So we will be exposed to new waves of infection and, increasingly, it will not be possible to stop the virus at our borders,” it said.

“We cannot isolate Singapore and shut ourselves from the world. So despite our best efforts, we have to be prepared for new spikes in Covid-19 cases in Singapore, as has happened elsewhere.”

Singaporeans will therefore have to redouble their efforts within the country's borders, MOH said.

When asked about recent confirmed cases in Singapore where the patients had recent travel history to Indonesian cities, namely Batam and Jakarta, Mr Wong said that imported cases of Covid-19 can come from any country.

Due to a difference in how countries proactively test for the disease, there may also be a situation where countries with few cases may be misidentified as having a lower risk, he added.

Hence, the swab tests will be useful in allowing Singapore to get a sense of where the sources of infection are, he said.

The Government will continue to put in resources to detect and isolate cases of infection and identify and quarantine their close contacts, it said.

The ministry again urged individuals to practise good hygiene habits such as washing hands before touching their face and to stay home when unwell.