Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Ministry of Health (MOH) are piloting the use of antigen rapid tests for migrant workers in the country.
As part of the Rostered Routine Testing (RRT), migrant workers are tested every 14 days using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. The antigen rapid test will be used as an additional test on the seventh day to complement the PCR test on the 14th day.
This means that workers will be tested on a seven-day cycle during the pilot that began October 18 and will run for a period of four weeks.
Results of the test can be obtained within half an hour even though it is less accurate than PCR tests, which take at least a day for results to be returned. Migrant workers who test positive can be isolated immediately and conveyed to a medical facility for a confirmatory PCR test. This quick action will reduce the risk of infection transmission to fellow residents, MOM and MOH said in a press statement.
Fewer numbers of close contacts will need to be quarantined, thus minimising work disruptions for workers and employers.
