S’pore stops VTL travel for work pass holders

SINGAPORE: Singapore government on Saturday said employers of S Pass and work permit holders in construction, marine shipyard and process sectors will not be allowed to make new applications for their employees to enter the country via the vaccinated travel lanes (VTL).

The decision by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) comes in the wake of rising concern over the Omicron variant globally.

On Friday, Singapore had announced the tightening of rules for VTL travellers in view of the new variant (Omicron). The S Pass allows mid-level skilled foreign staff to work in Singapore.

The ministry said that S Pass and work permit holders in the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors, as well as other dormitory-bound workers, should come in via the work pass holder general lane.

They may also enter Singapore via ongoing industry initiatives such as programmes with “upstream testing” and isolation in the source country, it said.

The number of workers entering under these lanes meet industry needs while allowing the entry of these workers to be done at a pace where they can be safely onboarded before entering the dormitories and worksites as these are higher risk settings, the Channel News Asia quoted the MOM as saying.

The entry of workers under these lanes is done at a pace where they can be safely onboarded before entering high-risk settings like dormitories and worksites, said MOM in a statement. For instance, workers have to show verification of vaccination and go for medical examination under these lanes.