Hospitals can allow some visitors to stay beyond 20 minutes if they take a COVID-19 test: MOH
A signboard at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) compound. (File photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
SINGAPORE: Hospitals may allow visitation time to be extended for some visitors if they have taken a COVID-19 test, said the Ministry of Health on Sunday (Jun 20).
As part of measures to mitigate any risk of infection within healthcare institutions, every visit at public and private healthcare institutions should not last more than 20 minutes, said MOH in response to queries by CNA.
But from Monday, hospitals may allow visitors to extend their visits beyond 20 minutes for the following groups, provided they have tested negative for COVID-19:
- Those visiting dangerously ill patients
- Those visiting patients requiring additional care support, such as those lacking mental capacity, and those who are involved in caregiver training
- Delivering/postpartum mothers
“Visitors who are eligible for extension of their visits must undergo an antigen rapid test (ART) on-site before approval for the extended visit is approved, regardless of their vaccination status,” said MOH.
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Visitors can only use test kits that are provided by the hospitals and testing may only be carried out on the day of the visit by hospital staff members or as a self-swab under their supervision.
“ART testing for visitors to subsidised wards will be funded by MOH,” said the ministry, adding that test result will be valid for 24 hours.
Singapore General Hospital (SGH), which will begin implementing these measures on Monday, said in a Facebook post that visitors can also submit a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken in the past 24 hours.
Visitors who do not stay beyond 20 minutes are not required to take the ART, added SGH.
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