Written Answer by Minister for Manpower, Dr Tan See Leng to PQ on management of vaccine hesitancy among work pass holders from 1 November 2021

NOTICE PAPER NO. 799 OF 2021 FOR THE SITTING ON OR AFTER 1 NOVEMBER 2021
QUESTION NO. 1278 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song

To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how does the Ministry plan to manage vaccine hesitancy among work pass holders from 1 November 2021 when they will all be required to be fully vaccinated prior to arrival in Singapore; (b) whether exceptions will be granted to those with contraindications to COVID-19 vaccines; and (c) whether the Ministry will require all work pass holders who are already in Singapore to get vaccinated.

Answer

From 1 November 2021, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will only allow work pass holders who are fully vaccinated to enter Singapore. This is important to support Singapore’s reopening in a safe and calibrated manner. Those who are medically ineligible for vaccination may appeal for exemption from the vaccination requirement, supported by a doctor’s memo, before applying for entry approval. Upon arrival in Singapore, they will have to get a medical exemption from a Singapore medical practitioner, or complete the full vaccination regimen if they are eligible for any COVID-19 vaccine under the National Vaccination Programme.

2 To date, 96% of MOM work pass holders are fully vaccinated. With effect from 1 January 2022, only fully vaccinated employees or employees who have recovered from COVID-19 within 270 days can return to the workplace. We expect more workers, both local and foreign, who have yet to be vaccinated, to be fully vaccinated in the coming months. We will continue to monitor the vaccination rate of the local and foreign workforce, and take appropriate measures to ensure and sustain one of the highest workforce vaccination rates in the world.