Jewel Changi airport is looking like a ghost town.....

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Netizen: Virus didn’t ‘break through’ so much as it waltzed out of Changi Airport Terminal 3​

Singapore—A netizen wrote a Facebook post decrying lapses in passenger management at Changi Airport on Sunday (May 16)

Concerning the recent uptick in Covid-19 cases, Mr Lim Jialiang wrote that “The virus didn’t ‘break through’ so much as it waltzed out of Changi Airport Terminal 3.”

Mr Lim wrote that his main frustration is that there is already a solution to the pandemic —namely the vaccines.


“Even with our delayed vaccine schedules, we would’ve gotten enough to vaccinate the whole population of Singapore by the end of 2021, allowing us some measure of normality and also tentatively restarting travel with countries that have managed to pursue a COVID-19 elimination strategy,” he wrote.

“So what my government is telling me is, we cannot wait for that meh? We cannot wait a few more months to let that final shield develop properly? The fact that we have a small country means that we are able to secure our borders extremely well, so where was the vigilance that they asked Singaporeans to have?”​

He added that he has heard many express how disappointed they are over the current situation, as the majority of Singaporeans have taken personal responsibility during the pandemic.

“We kept our masks on even through the months where we had zero community cases at weeks on end. We kept them on even as we saw other countries that had pursued a Covid-19 elimination strategy took their masks off, resumed their life in a more significant way.”

“We have been in this situation before. I am sure that we will get out of it. But the disappointment is greater than the first time.”

Mr Lim, who posts frequently on socio-political issues, added a link to a Letter of the Week published in The Straits Times last month, where a reader named Ong Chen His said that stricter Covid-19 measures were needed for inbound passengers at airport.

The letter was published on April 17, when community cases were almost at zero. In it, the writer talked about their recent experience upon arrival at Changi Airport.

“I was disappointed with the lack of segregation between passengers from different incoming flights, and worried about potential contact with outbound passengers.

“Much to my dismay, inbound passengers were allowed to roam freely upon landing.”

At the time, there were dozens of imported cases reported daily. So the letter writer felt called for more stringent measures for travellers from other countries landing at Changi.

“Imagine the many opportunities for infection, from the moment at-risk passengers touch down at the airport,” the writer stressed.

“To defeat Covid-19, we must reassess the systems in place and rectify all potential loopholes before a new wave of cases appears.”

 

[KNNBPCB]

I am looking forward to visiting A&W at Jewel Changi when it reopens.

 

[jw5]

I am looking forward to visiting A&W at Jewel Changi when it reopens.

Jewel Changi will reopen on 27 May, only 6 days away.

 

[KNNBPCB]

Jewel Changi will reopen on 27 May, only 6 days away.

I am counting down the days.

 

[jw5]

I am counting down the days.

In the meantime, they will be doing deep deep cleaning.

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Speed at which Changi Airport Covid-19 cluster grew is worrying, says expert​

SINGAPORE - In less than two weeks, the Changi Airport cluster has emerged as the country's largest community cluster to date - second only to the outbreak in the worker dormitories - with a total of 78 Covid-19 cases linked to it.

What is even more worrying is how the virus has hit a large number of elderly workers, as much as it has also infiltrated visitors to public places within the airport.

Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that the most striking thing about this cluster is how rapidly the virus has spread between the cases.

"We have seen not just two generations of spread - but up to three and even four generations that happened within a matter of less than two weeks."

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said last Friday (May 14) that the workers who were infected with Covid-19 mainly received travellers from high-risk countries at a zone which includes a conveyor belt and an immigration area that passengers have to pass through.

Workers who were in charge of this area would then go on to have their meals at the Terminal 3 Basement 2 commercial area and food court, where they were likely to have passed on the virus to the community.

This high-risk zone, which Mr Ong likened to Ward 9D of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital cluster - the ground zero of recent infections - could be a weak link where imported cases with more virulent Covid-19 variants could seep into the community.

Prof Teo said the areas where people are more likely to come together, such as immigration checkpoints and baggage collection areas, are where the risk of transmission will be higher.

"The fact is that these areas are indoors and air-conditioned, thus meaning the air is cooler and less humid, creating an environment that likely permits the coronavirus to stay viable for longer, whether it is as droplets, aerosols, or on surfaces," he said.

With emerging variants like the B1617 strain being more transmissible than what was previously seen last year, it could mean that even transient exposure through close contact with someone contagious, or increased survivability of the coronavirus would be sufficient to infect, added Prof Teo.

This is even as infection prevention and control (IPC) protocols - such as the wearing of personal protective equipment and ensuring the frequent disinfecting of surfaces - continue to remain in place, suggesting that these measures may no longer be as adequate.

Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, director of medical services at the Ministry of Health, said last Friday that the PPE regime for front-line workers will be reviewed, starting with the hospitals, before this is extended to other sectors.

Hence, while it is important to investigate any lapses in the existing protocols, Prof Teo said that ramping up crowd segregation and IPC protocols should also be considered.

The index case to the airport cluster was an 88-year-old cleaner, who was employed by Ramky Cleantech Services and deployed at Changi Airport Terminal 3. He tested positive on May 5 despite being fully vaccinated.

A total of 16 employees from Ramky Cleantech Services have since tested positive for the virus, with some testing positive while deployed to Robinsons 77, the former SIA Building.

Most of the infected employees are cleaners, and about half the employees are above the age of 60. Not all of them were vaccinated.

The recent cases have shown that while vaccination does not completely prevent one from becoming infected, it can reduce the chances of infection and prevent the onset of serious disease.

As at last Friday, only 19 out of the 28 infected airport workers were fully vaccinated. None of them needed oxygen support.

Therefore, vaccinating front-line workers at all of Singapore's border checkpoints, as well as those in "outward facing professions" is important, as they will invariably come into contact with people coming from overseas, said Prof Teo.

In addition, it is important to think about who these workers are so that the net is cast wide enough to include auxiliary staff such as canteen operators, cleaners and even shuttle bus drivers of these workers, he added.

Certain sectors can also put in place strong recommendations to have their workforce vaccinated - just like the case for healthcare workers - as a supportive work environment could enable a higher vaccine uptake.

"For elderly workers who are working in front-line sectors, the companies can also strongly encourage them to take up the vaccination, and to redeploy those who preferred not to be vaccinated to job scopes that are lower in risk," he said.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Changi Airport worker helping South Asia family likely led to COVID cluster: CAG​

SINGAPORE — The initial transmission of COVID-19 in the Changi Airport cluster may have occurred through an airport worker who was helping a family from South Asia, who arrived in Singapore on 29 April and were subsequently found to be infected.

In a press release uploaded on the Changi Airport Group (CAG) website on Friday (21 May), the CAG said that phylogenetic testing results for an initial batch of infected airport workers indicated that they originated from a common source, as they were found to be similar and of the India variant, or B.1617.


Further investigations by the Ministry of Health and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) are ongoing, the CAG added.

The group also confirmed that as of Thursday, 43 airport workers have tested positive for COVID-19. These workers are part of the 100 cases identified to be linked to the cluster at the airport – the largest of 24 active clusters and of its kind to be recorded in Singapore to date.

"Most of these cases were detected early – cases peaked around 13 May, with very few cases among airport workers subsequently. None of the cases are in serious condition, require oxygen or are in the Intensive Care Unit," said the CAG.

Of them, 10 were discovered via a special testing operation of some 19,000 frontline workers and office workers in the Changi Airport Passenger Terminal Buildings (PTBs) and Jewel.

Thirty-three others were detected through other means, such as while serving quarantine orders or during the rostered routine testing regime.

The CAG added that all airport workers who were working around T3 Basement 2 and had tested negative for COVID-19 in their first test have been rostered to take an additional COVID-19 test since Thursday.

These results are pending, it added.

In addition, all arriving passengers from very high-risk countries or regions must undergo on-arrival antigen rapid tests (ART), on top of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test from Thursday.

From next Monday, airport workers in higher-risk roles will also be required to take an additional ART between their seven-day rostered routine tests.

"While an ART is less sensitive than a PCR test, it provides an additional layer of screening. The quicker turnaround time of an ART compared to a PCR test will allow for public health actions to be taken more quickly for persons who test positive by ART," said the CAG.

Over 90 per cent of frontline aviation workers have been vaccinated to date since the start of the Sea-Air Vaccination Exercise (SAVE) in January.

"We are working with the aviation community to vaccinate more workers within the next few weeks," said the group.

The CAG also announced that additional cleaning and disinfection of Changi Airport PTBs and Jewel have been completed. They will remain closed to members of the public till the end of the Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) period.

 

[jw5]

Only another 4 days to the grand re-opening.

 

[jw5]

Jewel Changi has many interesting shops, including Converse and Tiger Beer Lab.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Singapore airport tightens measures after COVID-19 outbreak

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's airport said on Monday it was stepping up measures to keep out the coronavirus, including further segregating arrivals and about 14,000 workers into different risk zones, after it became the country's largest active COVID-19 cluster.

The Changi airport cluster, which involves over 100 cases, may have initially spread through a worker who helped an infected family arriving in the country, according to authorities. Some of the cases included the B.1.617 variant first detected in India.


Workers in the highest risk zone - the terminal piers, arrival immigration hall and baggage claim - will be vaccinated, segregated from other staff, given full protective clothing and subject to enhanced testing, the airport operator said in a statement.

Passengers from very high-risk countries will be escorted through immigration to their quarantine facilities without going through the other terminals, it said.

Authorities have been criticised on the internet and social media for not introducing such measures earlier given the international impact of highly contagious variants.

Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung this month said airport staff who received travelers from high-risk countries may have infected others in the airport's food outlets.

The airport outbreak is part of a resurgence of infections in Singapore, which reported 24 local cases on Monday, that follows months of reporting few or no local cases each day.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Singapore airport tightens measures after COVID-19 outbreak

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's airport said on Monday it was stepping up measures to keep out the coronavirus, including further segregating arrivals and about 14,000 workers into different risk zones, after it became the country's largest active COVID-19 cluster.

The Changi airport cluster, which involves over 100 cases, may have initially spread through a worker who helped an infected family arriving in the country, according to authorities. Some of the cases included the B.1.617 variant first detected in India.


Workers in the highest risk zone - the terminal piers, arrival immigration hall and baggage claim - will be vaccinated, segregated from other staff, given full protective clothing and subject to enhanced testing, the airport operator said in a statement.

Passengers from very high-risk countries will be escorted through immigration to their quarantine facilities without going through the other terminals, it said.

Authorities have been criticised on the internet and social media for not introducing such measures earlier given the international impact of highly contagious variants.

Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung this month said airport staff who received travelers from high-risk countries may have infected others in the airport's food outlets.

The airport outbreak is part of a resurgence of infections in Singapore, which reported 24 local cases on Monday, that follows months of reporting few or no local cases each day.

Changi Airport trying very hard to close the barn door after the horses have bolted.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Family that sparked Changi Airport Covid cluster unlikely to have arrived from India​

SINGAPORE — The family thought to have sparked the Changi Airport COVID-19 cluster, which now numbers more than 100 cases, is unlikely to have arrived on a flight from India.

This is because India has banned all international commercial services to and from Singapore since last March.


According to a joint statement on Sunday (23 May) from the transport, foreign affairs and manpower ministries, Singapore Airlines is only allowed to operate cargo flights to India for now.

Meanwhile, Vande Bharat flights, operating out of Terminal 1, are the only passenger flights between the two countries. Vande Bharat is an expatriation exercise by the Indian government to bring back stranded Indian nationals during the pandemic.

According to the ministries, some 25 passengers arrive from India every day, with the "vast majority" being returning Singapore citizens and permanent residents. An average of 180 passengers fly in the opposite direction each day.

These flights are operated only by Indian carriers designated by the Indian government, with the approval of Singapore.

All arriving passengers at Changi Airport are subject to an Antigen Rapid Tests and a Polymerase Chain Reaction test on arrival, the ministries said. They are escorted from disembarkation through to their dedicated transport to go to the Stay Home Notice facilities for 21 days.

On Friday, the Changi Airport Group said the initial transmission may have occurred through an airport worker who was helping the South Asian family, who arrived in Singapore on 29 April and were subsequently found to be infected.

Phylogenetic testing results for an initial batch of infected airport workers indicated that they originated from a common source, as they were found to be similar and of the India variant, or B.1617.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Family that sparked Changi Airport Covid cluster unlikely to have arrived from India​

SINGAPORE — The family thought to have sparked the Changi Airport COVID-19 cluster, which now numbers more than 100 cases, is unlikely to have arrived on a flight from India.

This is because India has banned all international commercial services to and from Singapore since last March.


According to a joint statement on Sunday (23 May) from the transport, foreign affairs and manpower ministries, Singapore Airlines is only allowed to operate cargo flights to India for now.

Meanwhile, Vande Bharat flights, operating out of Terminal 1, are the only passenger flights between the two countries. Vande Bharat is an expatriation exercise by the Indian government to bring back stranded Indian nationals during the pandemic.

According to the ministries, some 25 passengers arrive from India every day, with the "vast majority" being returning Singapore citizens and permanent residents. An average of 180 passengers fly in the opposite direction each day.

These flights are operated only by Indian carriers designated by the Indian government, with the approval of Singapore.

All arriving passengers at Changi Airport are subject to an Antigen Rapid Tests and a Polymerase Chain Reaction test on arrival, the ministries said. They are escorted from disembarkation through to their dedicated transport to go to the Stay Home Notice facilities for 21 days.

On Friday, the Changi Airport Group said the initial transmission may have occurred through an airport worker who was helping the South Asian family, who arrived in Singapore on 29 April and were subsequently found to be infected.

Phylogenetic testing results for an initial batch of infected airport workers indicated that they originated from a common source, as they were found to be similar and of the India variant, or B.1617.

They may not have arrived from India but are they FROM India?

 

[theblackhole]

gone case leow lah
never listen to the ground
now the jewel is like a shit of dust
all panic and frantic
why? howlianism
never listen to the people
now the whole place is a covid hub
surely mati leow lah ...

 

[jw5]

gone case leow lah
never listen to the ground
now the jewel is like a shit of dust
all panic and frantic
why? howlianism
never listen to the people
now the whole place is a covid hub
surely mati leow lah ...

Grand re-opening 2 days away.

 

[jw5]

Converse opens an eco-friendly store in Jewel Changi to clean the air​

 

[jw5]

The claim seemed suspicious when Converse announced that the first Singapore flagship at Jewel Changi Airport was sustainable.

Sure it was another case of greenwashing — how Sneaker store Is it good for the environment?

The answer lies in the mural that welcomes you when you arrive at the store. (Convenient as a sneaker head, right next to New Balance and near the foot locker.) Pastel-colored artwork depicts saplings growing from Converse’s high-top sneakers. The up-and-coming slogan “One Step Is All It Takes” has a clever pun. But the best thing about murals is that they are invisible. Removes toxins in the air.

This is due to the use of a special paint called graphene stone, which has photocatalytic properties. In English, this means that paint uses light to break down toxic substances in the air, such as carbon dioxide, into harmless particles like wood.

The mural is one of several murals around Jewel. Behind the flagship is another natural inspiration, featuring defective Converse sneakers diverted to painted petals. And just a short walk from the store is by local artist Tan Zi Xi (@messymsxi), who has the air purifying power of nine trees.


To date, Converse has “planted” more than 8,000 trees worldwide in the murals of Converse City Forest. Introduced in 2020, the project brought “sustainable street art” to cities such as Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta and Warsaw, absorbing air pollutants instead of real plants.

This is an ingenious idea that has always obscured us, especially after a pandemic. In fact, we spent a lot of time thinking about fresh air last year when we were trapped in a house during a circuit breaker.

In the United States, the idea of breathing was associated with the killing of George Floyd, who rekindled the Black Lives Matter protest months after the Australian wildfire. And shortly before, remember that teen eco-activist Greta Thunberg reminded the world of the threat of air pollution and encouraged them to join the climate change movement and give up their planes.

In short, clean, breathable air is more valuable than ever. So thank you, Converse.

 

[jw5]

In her mural, Tanji Sea aimed to raise awareness of gender equality in Singapore. (Photo provider: Converse)

City Forest murals are not all that shoe brands have done in the name of environmental protection. In 2019, we unveiled the Converse Renewal Collection of Sustainable Chuck Taylor made from used PET bottles. Recently, we also added its signature badminton shoe, Jack Purcell, to the mix. Given that Jewel Changi Airport is an environmentally friendly facility, even the decision to open its first flagship store here was cautious.

Also, Singapore’s City Forests murals aren’t just about environmental issues. Through her artwork, ZiXi is rooted in gender equality. By interacting with her murals through Converse’s City Forests Instagram filter, you can discover Singapore milestones to achieve that.

This brings us to another source of freshness for the artist, the flagship of Converse. The murals in the store are Zi Xi and four young local creatives she taught, Kitty Yu (@kittyujg), Hanirusyaidi Subhan (@hanzbaobao), Hariz (@ haha.hariz), Seth Hoo (@ sethhoo). ).

All four are members of Converse’s All-Stars Grassroots Program. The program scouts new talent in different areas of the world and offers creative opportunities, training and workshops. The All-Stars program focuses specifically on young people who are passionate about activism, sustainability, inclusiveness and diversity.

For Hanil Shidi and Harris, who hold a degree in Communication Design, the Converse City Forest mural is the first physical public art installation.

“We learned a lot about discipline by working with ZiXi,” said Hanil Shady, who participated in the All-Star Program in 2019. [my sense of artistic] Disciplined freedom to make my work better. “

Harris was commissioned by Converse to design the Holiday Look Book last year, but this was his first creative project, not just on-screen. “ZiXi taught me a lot not only about technical skills, but also about the importance of artwork details such as leaves and letters.”

Or like using Graphenstone. The next time you go to Jewel and get a Shake Shack burger, stop by Converse’s new flagship store. Don’t worry, it doesn’t smell that fresh paint.

# 02-250 Visit Converse’s flagship store at Jewel Changi Airport.

 

[jw5]

#ADVISORY: As announced jointly by The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Changi Airport Group, Jewel will continue to remain closed until 13 June, 2359 hours. This extension is meant to allow our staff more time to be tested and for as many as possible to receive their first vaccination dose, if not already so.

A reminder that during this time, Jewel is only accessible to Jewel staff and passengers are not allowed in.

Do stay with us on our social media channels as we will be sharing updates progressively.

 

[jw5]

A pity that the re-opening has been delayed.