Daily Briefing: SG to lift border restrictions for mainland China and Victoria, Australia; SG firm invents COVID-19 breathalyser with results in seconds

And AIA reps pledge portions of policy sales to AIA Singapore’s charities.

From ChannelNewsAsia:

Singapore will lift its border restrictions for all visitors from mainland China and Victoria, Australia from next Friday, November 6.

This will take effect from midnight on that day and includes all travellers who are not Singapore citizens, permanent residents or long-term pass holders, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said on Thursday.

From 12 PM on 30 October, visitors travelling from mainland China and Victoria state can apply for an Air Travel Pass for entry into Singapore on or after 6 November.

Applicants must have remained in either mainland China or Australia in the last 14 consecutive days prior to their entry and must travel to Singapore on direct flights without transit.

They will then undergo a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test upon arrival at the airport.

Read more here.

From Reuters:

A company in Singapore has developed a breathalyser test for the coronavirus which it says will enable people to know whether they are infected in under a minute.

Breathonix, a startup firm from the National University of Singapore, says its test achieved more than 90% accuracy in a pilot clinical trial of 180 people and hopes to get regulatory approval early next year.

Countries worldwide are looking to develop alternative tests to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) nasal swab, which is invasive and in short supply in some places where demand has outstripped manufacturers’ production capacity.

Breathonix is currently expanding its trial in Singapore and hopes to improve accuracy and get the green light to go commercial in the first quarter of next year.

At $27.31 (US$20), Breathonix says its test would be 70% cheaper than PCR tests, although infected patients would likely still need the more sensitive PCR tests to confirm the diagnosis.

Read more here.

From HumanResourcesOnline:

AIA Singapore has launched a #ShareTheLove campaign that pays tribute to essential workers as well as gives back to the community through donations co-funded by its representatives.

As such, the insurer will be offering complimentary AIA #ShareTheLove Insurance plans covering COVID-19 and 21 infectious diseases (including dengue fever, tuberculosis, and hand, foot and mouth disease) for the essential workforce.

For this, members of the public may nominate a family member or friend who is an essential worker via Facebook or Instagram.

Both parties in the selected stories (individuals who submitted the story and their nominees) will be provided with the free insurance.

Melita Teo, Chief Customer and Digital Officer, AIA Singapore, said: "By engaging the help of the community at large, we hope to play a part in bringing more of these amazing stories of resilience to light and paying tribute to our essential workforce.”

Read more here.