Since October 2020, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has been piloting the use of pre-event testing to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission for undetected cases.

What is pre-event testing?

Pre-event testing requires participants of selected events or activities to be tested at the venue, a dedicated testing facility or clinic no more than 24 hours before the end of their participation at the event. Only participants who present a valid negative COVID-19 test result will be allowed to attend the event.

These pilots have allowed MOH to assess the operational workflows for further implementation of pre-event testing, as well as gauge the feasibility of allowing more events to be scaled up gradually.

Scaling up of selected activities

With the success of the pilots, here are the activities that will be allowed to scale up gradually from 24 April 2021:

Attending large-scale events for vaccinated individuals

From 24 April 2021, individuals who have completed the full vaccination regimen and have had time to develop sufficient protection (i.e. two weeks after the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine) can gain entry to events that have implemented pre-event testing without the need to undergo pre-event testing.

Vaccinated individuals should continue observing all safe management measures and practice good hygiene, so they can protect those who are unvaccinated in the community.

Remaining vigilant as more activities resume

Even as more activities are allowed to resume, Singaporeans must remain vigilant so as to keep community cases low. Observing safe management measures and practicing good hygiene is still crucial to protect the community and our loved ones.

As more of Singapore’s population gets vaccinated, we can look forward to further reopening and emerging stronger from this crisis together.

For more information, click here for MOH’s press release.