COVID-19 Precautionary

In order to combat the current situation on COVID-19 in Singapore, we have taken extra measures to enhance the protection of our campus visitors, students and staff.

  1. Temperature taking for all staff/visitors/students entering MDIS.
  2. Staff/visitors/students with a temperature of 37.6° C or above will be required to take their temperature again after 5 minutes. If their temperature is still higher than 37.6° C, necessary actions will be taken for quarantine purposes. 
  3. Additional staff from MDIS are activated to support security guards at the main entrance to handle the visitor traffic.
  4. Separate security guard teams are deployed to make sure every taxi/cab driver and passenger’s temperatures are checked.
  5. Dedicated drop-off point for taxi and cabs.
  6. Single entrance for all MDIS Campus visitors including staff and students to make sure everyone goes through the daily temperature check.
  7. Contact tracing for the campus visitors.
  8. Sanitisers are conveniently located near lifts within the campus. 
  9. Informational posters on how to maintain high standards of hygiene are placed at high-visibility areas around the campus.
  10. Increased frequency of cleaning of common areas which include lifts, student communal areas and canteen.
  11. Measures for safe social distancing rolled out at MDIS campus. Clearly marked queuing areas (1m apart) at the campus main entrance, reception area, consultation area, canteen to keep social distancing.
  12. On 7 April 2020, the Singapore has implemented the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) bill. This restriction will last from 7 April 2020 till 4 May 2020. Adapting to the new law implemented during this Circuit Breaker period, MDIS Residences will impose stricter measures for the safety and well-being of all Residents. 

    Residents that belong under the approved COVID-19 Act list, may proceed to level 3 Hostel Office to apply for a permit (with supporting documents), at least 3 working days during office hours.

    For more details of COVID-19 Act list, please refer to https://www.moh.gov.sg/docs/librariesprovider5/pressroom/press-releases/annex-for-notification-8-apr-2020.pdf

    Anyone found violating these rules will face severe disciplinary action and / or enforcement actions from relevant authorities.

    With immediate effect from 15 April 2020, all residents will only be allowed to leave the hostel maximum of 2 hours per day (capped at maximum 2 trips), for essential purposes only. (e.g. purchasing of grocery and necessities). In addition, mandatory for all residents to wear a mask when stepping out of the hostel rooms. Anyone found violating these rules will face severe disciplinary action and/or enforcement actions from relevant authorities.
     
  13. Further to Prime Minister’s national address on the COVID-19 situation on 21 Apr 2020, the circuit breaker to choke off the spread of the coronavirus will be extended by another month to 1 June 2020, and existing measures will be tightened until 4 May 2020.

Campus Main Entrance

Reception Area

Food Court Seating

Food Court Queuing Area

MDIS College

Bell Wing

Consultation Area

Further to the Public Health Advisory, MOE has previously announced on 27 January 2020, that additional measures to enhance the protection of school students against the COVID-19. In addition to travel declarations and daily temperature-taking by staff/students who have travelled to mainland China, MOE implemented a Leave of Absence (LOA) for students and staff returning from mainland China. 

The latest announcement from MOE on 17 February 2020, that from 18 February 2020 at 11.59pm, a new Stay-Home Notice will be introduced for Singapore residents and long-term pass holders returning from mainland China. They will be required to remain at home at all times for 14 days.  

With the new scheme in place, the Government will no longer be issuing anymore new LOA notices to returnees with recent travel history to China, outside of Hubei province.

This will be stricter than the current leave of absence (LOA), which has allowed those returning to leave their homes briefly, for example, for their meals or to buy household supplies.

Enforcement officers will carry out random calls and spot checks, among other measures, to ensure that those serving out the Stay-Home Notice comply with requirements. MDIS has applied the same guidelines and are following them strictly.

With effect from 4 March 2020 at 11.59pm, MOM will require all work pass holders (including dependants) with travel history to South Korea, Northern Italy, or Iran within the last 14 days and planning to enter/return to Singapore, to obtain MOM’s approval before they commence their journey. Upon arrival in Singapore, all affected work pass holders will be placed on a mandatory 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN). When applying for entry approval, employers will be required to declare to MOM that they have arranged for suitable premises to house these entering/returning employees for the duration of their SHN.

With effect from 16 March 2020 at 11.59pm, travelers, including Singapore residents, long-term pass holders and short-term visitors who enter Singapore with recent travel history to ASEAN countries, Japan, Switzerland or the United Kingdom will be issued a 14-day stays home notice (SHN).

In view of the heightened risk of importation of COVID-19 cases, please note that the Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has announced that from 9am on 27th March 2020, all travellers arriving in Singapore will have to submit a health declaration online before proceeding with immigration clearance.  Singapore will not allow short-term visitors to enter or transit through the country.

Travellers will have to submit their declaration via the SG Arrival Card (SGAC) e-Service at https://icaeservices.ica.gov.sg/sgarrivalcard/. The health declaration will be made available before 27th March 2020, so that travellers who are due to arrive before that can complete it in advance of their arrival.

All Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents, and Long-Term Pass (LTP) holders (Student’s Pass, Dependant’s Pass, Work Pass) who submit their health declaration will need to select "Residents" on the website, after which they will be directed to provide their health and recent travel information, as well as personal and contact details.  All travellers can submit their health declaration up to three days prior to arrival in Singapore.

Those who make false declarations will be liable for prosecution under the Infectious Diseases Act.  First-time offenders face a fine of up to S$10,000 and jail for six months. Repeat offenders face double those penalties.

For more details, please refer to https://www.ica.gov.sg/news-and-publications/media-releases/media-release/all-travellers-arriving-in-singapore-from-27-march-2020-0900-hours-must-submit-health-declaration-via-the-sg-arrival-card-e-service

This new entry requirement is an additional precautionary measure to mitigate the risk of importation of COVID-19 into Singapore, and will be subject to further review based on the global COVID-19 situation.

If you are currently overseas, please be reminded of the 14-days Stay-Home Notice:

Image Credit: Channel News Asia

3 April 2020

Amid concerns over escalating COVID-19 infections in Singapore, we are imposing stricter precautionary measures to safeguard the well-being of all students and staff. All classes will be suspended from 8 Apr 2020 to 4 May 2020 as part of additional efforts announced by the Government on 3 Apr 2020 to support social distancing. Classes are currently set to resume on 5 May 2020 until further notice.

All students are encouraged to #STAYHOME and switch to full digital mode via our online learning platform to keep their education journey in check. Students can rely on the continued support of their lecturers and other school personnel via online.

14 April 2020

Mask up when out

The Multi-Ministry Taskforce has introduced stringent measures as part of a nation-wide circuit breaker to break the chain of COVID-19 transmissions since 7 April 2020. The Taskforce will now

make the wearing of masks mandatory for anyone leaving their home. The general public is still advised to stay home and avoid going out.

This applies on public transport, taxis, private hire cars, walking to or at markets, and also for essential workers at all workplace premises, whether they are frontline staff (such as food handlers, cashiers and bus drivers) or performing back office functions (such as data entry personnel and payroll executives).

Individuals may remove their mask while engaging in strenuous exercise outdoors (e.g. running/ jogging), but they must put it back on after completing exercise. Mask-wearing is not recommended for young children below the age of two for child safety reasons. Medical experts have also advised that some groups may have difficulties wearing a mask, including children with special needs and young children aged two and above, it will be exercise flexibility in enforcement for these groups.

First-time offenders will be issued composition offers of $300, and repeat offenders will face higher fines or prosecution in court for egregious cases.

Enhanced measures for workplaces which remain open

When started the Circuit Breaker, the Multi-Ministry Taskforce was mindful not to disrupt supply chains and essential services needed for daily living. For workplace premises which remain open, cross-deployment or movement of workers across different workplace premises (e.g. different branches) will be disallowed.

Employers and on-site managers must ensure that this is complied with, to avoid transmissions across workplace premises. There should also be no physical interactions between teams working in different locations. For essential service providers who need to move between different locations to perform their services (e.g. IT support, maintenance, logistics, community nurses making house visits), safe distancing measures must be complied to.

Employers and on-site managers are also required to implement strict safe distancing measures within their premises, and for company-arranged transport, to reduce social interactions among workers during their course of work, as well as during their meal and break times. Employers and on-site managers should ensure that workers on-site are wearing masks.

First-time offences by essential service providers, owners or occupiers will be issued composition offers of $1000, and repeat offenders will face higher fines or prosecution in court for egregious cases. Essential service providers may be required to suspend their operations should any of their staff working on the premises become infected.

21 April 2020

Further to Prime Minister’s national address on the COVID-19 situation on 21 Apr 2020, the circuit breaker to choke off the spread of the coronavirus will be extended by another month to 1 June 2020, and existing measures will be tightened until 4 May 2020.

More workplaces will be closed to further reduce the number of workers keeping essential services going and more new stringent measures will be implement.

Image Credit: https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/prime-minister-lee-hsien-loong-to-address-nation-on-covid-19-situation-at-5pm

Image Credit: https://cna.asia/3eIgjNI 

Image Credit:  https://cna.asia/2RTL8Fl

For further enquiries, please email to sca@mdis.edu.sg  

This is to ensure a coordinated effort to protect everyone.

Specifically, MDIS has undertaken the following measures:

  1. Staff and students are strongly advised to avoid travel to:
    a. Mainland China
    b. All other countries/regions

  2. Travel declarations by all students and staff who have travelled or will be travelling from 14 January 2020 onwards.

  3. All students and staff who have returned from Hubei province, Mainland China and all other countries/regions are to monitor their temperature daily. Those who are unwell should visit a doctor immediately and declare their travel history. If they have a fever or respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, runny nose, shortness of breath), they should wear a surgical mask and call the clinic ahead of their visit.

  4. 14-day Quarantine applies to those who are returing from Hubie province, Mainland China.

  5. 14-day Stay Home Notice (SHN) applies to all other countries/regions. The SHN starts from the day of arrival in Singapore. This applies to all MDIS students and staff returning from the rest of mainland China and all other countries/regions. 

  6. All classes will be suspended from 8 Apr 2020 to 1 June 2020 as part of additional efforts announced by the Government on 21 Apr 2020 to support social distancing. Classes are currently set to resume on 2 June 2020 until further notice.

  7. All staff (Except frontline essential staff) will work from home with effect from 7 Apr 2020 to 1 June 2020.

  8. All students are encouraged to #STAYHOME and switch to full digital mode via our online learning platform to keep their education journey in check. Students can rely on the continued support of their lecturers and other school personnel via online.

 

An emergency hotline for our students has been placed and circulated. These hotline numbers are available during and after office hours.

Special guidelines are circulated for MDIS Residences tenants where tenants are not allowed to enter the hostel after 12am.