Covid-19 vaccination for land transport sector begins, 80,000 workers to be offered jabs over coming months: LTA

SINGAPORE — Land transport workers in Singapore began receiving their Covid-19 vaccinations on Monday (Jan 25), with those employed by the bus and train operators here among the first to get inoculated.

In a media release, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that it will be working with the Ministry of Health as well as the various companies to progressively offer vaccination against Covid-19 to about 80,000 workers over the coming months.

“This is part of Singapore’s national vaccination strategy to protect our workers, and strengthen the resilience of our essential transport services,” LTA said.

The authority added that the first cohort of 12,000 land transport workers will receive their vaccinations at the two vaccination centres — one at the former Hong Kah Secondary School campus and the other at Changi Airport Terminal 4.

Active taxi drivers — as well as private-hire car drivers — will also be among those getting vaccinated. LTA said that the vaccinations have already been offered to those drivers who are involved in supporting the ground operations for people placed on stay-home notice.

LTA's chief executive officer Ng Lang said that Singapore’s land transport workers have been “working tirelessly” since the onset of Covid-19 to keep the country’s essential transport services running.

“Vaccination will help keep our workers and their families safe and strengthen the resilience of these services. We strongly encourage land transport workers to step forward for vaccination,” Mr Ng said.

Singapore’s vaccination exercise began on Dec 30 last year with healthcare workers at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases the first to receive their doses. 

Workers in the aviation and maritime sectors began getting vaccinated last Monday while the exercise for seniors will begin this Wednesday with pilots in Ang Mo Kio and Tanjong Pagar.