SINGAPORE, Sept 15 — Members of Parliament (MPs) will undergo supervised Covid-19 self-tests before each parliamentary sitting to “set a good example” amid a push by the authorities to get more people here to test themselves regularly.

In a written reply on Monday (September 13) to a parliamentary question filed by Nominated MP Tan Yia Swam, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said that all MPs will have to “undergo supervised self-tests with fast and easy testing modes ahead of each parliamentary sitting”.

Dr Tan had asked whether rostered routine testing could be implemented for MPs doing home visits, holding physical Meet-the-People sessions, and attending parliamentary sittings.

Singapore has been seeing an increase in Covid-19 cases over the last two weeks, with people urged to voluntarily undergo regular self-testing as a matter of social responsibility.

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Ong added that the Ministry of Health (MoH) had discussed the matter with Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, and since MPs tend to meet many of their residents, they will set a good example with pre-event testing.

In a Facebook post on Monday night, Tan said that he had asked MPs who attended that day’s parliamentary session to undergo a self-swab antigen rapid test before they went.

He also shared photos of booths set up for the tests and MPs in the queues, and demonstrated in a video how the self-test is performed.

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Last week, MoH announced new measures to address the rise in Covid-19 cases, including default home recovery for eligible fully vaccinated individuals and self-tests for primary school students in the first week of the new school term.

Rostered routine testing has also been mandated for front-line workers, including those at borders and care facilities, and workers living in dormitories. ― TODAY