Part Of An Effort To Curtail The Spread Of Covid-19

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) will implement additional measures for business aviation aircraft that operate into Singapore.

Effective at midnight local time March 12, all air crew (pilots and cabin crew) and passengers on business aviation aircraft will be required to make a health declaration under the Infectious Diseases Act before they are permitted to depart for Singapore. If any air crew member or passenger declares themselves to be unwell, the operator of the flight will be instructed to operate the flight as a medical evacuation (medevac) flight, and the unwell crew member or passenger will be considered a patient.

A person is defined unwell if:

• the person has fever i.e. temperature 37.5^o C (99.5^o F) or higher; and/or
• the person has pneumonia or respiratory symptoms of any degree of severity, including
• cough, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath.

All patients arriving on medevac flights are required to be tested negative for COVID-19 at the source country before they are permitted to fly to Singapore. They would also need to have a hospital in Singapore to receive them. A risk assessment of the patient must be provided to the receiving hospital. This applies also to patients who appear to have conditions that are non-infectious.

Business aviation aircraft passengers and air crew members on non-medevac flights who exhibit fever and/or other symptoms of respiratory illness upon arrival and who are non-Singapore residents will not be allowed to enter Singapore. The aircraft will be required to turn around as soon as practicable, bearing in mind medical and flight safety. Singaporeans (SC), Permanent Residents (PR) and Long-term Pass (LTP) holders arriving on these flights will be required to go through the current arrival screening process which may include a COVID-19 swab test before entering Singapore.

Air crew and passengers of business aviation aircraft who make false declarations can be prosecuted under Singapore law, including the Infectious Diseases Act. The penalties for such false declarations include imprisonment and/or fines.

(Source: CAAS news release)

FMI: www.caas.gov.sg