No. S 696
Infectious Diseases Act
(CHAPTER 137)
Infectious Diseases
(COVID-19 Self-notification)
Regulations 2021
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 73 of the Infectious Diseases Act, the Minister for Health makes the following Regulations:
Citation and commencement
1.  These Regulations are the Infectious Diseases (COVID‑19 Self‑notification) Regulations 2021 and come into operation on 15 September 2021.
Definitions
2.—(1)  In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —
“atypical finding for SARS-CoV-2” has the meaning given by regulation 2(1) of the Infectious Diseases (Mass Gathering Testing for Coronavirus Disease 2019) Regulations 2021 (G.N. No. S 273/2021);
“COVID‑19” means the infectious disease known as Coronavirus Disease 2019;
“defined contact”, in relation to a diagnosed person, has the meaning given by regulation 5;
“diagnosed person” has the meaning given by regulation 3;
“identification number”, in relation to an individual, means the number of any identity document relating to that individual, as follows:
(a)an identity card;
(b)a passport or other travel document;
(c)any other document of identity issued by the Government or a foreign government as evidence of the diagnosed person’s nationality or residence, or his or her entitlement or a privilege or status in order to work or reside in Singapore;
(d)in the case of a juvenile without any document in paragraph (a), (b) or (c), a birth certificate;
“juvenile” means a person who is 16 years of age or younger;
“look‑back period applicable to a diagnosed person” has the meaning given by regulation 5(2);
“notifiable matters”, in relation to a diagnosed person, means —
(a)the happening of an event in regulation 4(1)(a) or (b) (as the case may be) to the diagnosed person;
(b)when that event happened; and
(c)the full name and identification number of the diagnosed person;
“PCR test” means a polymerase chain reaction test carried out in Singapore in relation to an individual, the purpose of which is to test for the presence of SARS‑CoV‑2 in that individual;
“place of accommodation”, for an individual, means —
(a)a house or flat in Singapore that is the individual’s home in Singapore;
(b)any other premises in Singapore that the individual is ordinarily resident at when in Singapore;
(c)a room, or a partitioned‑off space for sleeping, that is in a hotel, hostel, guesthouse, serviced apartment or student dormitory in Singapore; or
(d)a room, or a partitioned‑off space for sleeping, that is in any other premises in Singapore that provides sleeping facilities and residential accommodation (whether or not other accommodation is also provided), but not any of the following premises:
(i)any hospital or nursing home;
(ii)any boarding premises that is the subject of a licence under the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act 2015 (Act 3 of 2015) or is providing accommodation to 7 or more foreign employees, including any place converted (temporarily or otherwise) for use as accommodation for 7 or more foreign employees;
(iii)any prison where an individual is incarcerated to serve a sentence of imprisonment, any other place where a prisoner may serve his or her sentence of imprisonment outside of a prison, and any premises for the purposes of detaining individuals serving orders of detention under any written law, whether or not for their rehabilitation or safety;
“premises” includes any place whether enclosed or built on or not, whether situated underground and, in particular, includes —
(a)any building;
(b)any structure, whether a fixed structure or a movable structure such as a tent; and
(c)a part of any premises, including a part of premises of a kind referred to in paragraph (a) or (b),
but does not include any vehicle, vessel or aircraft.
(2)  Where an individual undergoes a PCR test or a series of PCR tests, the individual’s test result is treated as negative for SARS‑CoV‑2 in the same circumstances described in regulation 8(1) of the Infectious Diseases (Mass Gathering Testing for Coronavirus Disease 2019) Regulations 2021.
Who is diagnosed person
3.  An individual is or becomes a diagnosed person if the individual, at any time on or after 15 September 2021, has been informed that he or she —
(a)tested positive for SARS‑CoV‑2 upon undergoing a PCR test in Singapore; or
(b)has been diagnosed as having a COVID‑19 infection,
whether or not the individual is or has been given an order under section 15(1) or (2) of the Act.
Notifications by diagnosed person
4.—(1)  Subject to paragraph (2), after an individual is informed (on or after 15 September 2021) that he or she —
(a)tested positive for SARS‑CoV‑2 upon undergoing a PCR test in Singapore; or
(b)has been diagnosed as having a COVID‑19 infection,
and becomes a diagnosed person, he or she must take all reasonably practical steps to notify, within 24 hours after being notified about the happening of the event in sub‑paragraph (a) or (b) to him or her —
(c)every other individual whom the diagnosed person knows or ought reasonably to know is a defined contact of the diagnosed person; and
(d)a parent or guardian of every juvenile whom the diagnosed person knows or ought reasonably to know is a defined contact of the diagnosed person,
about all notifiable matters relating to the diagnosed person.
(2)  In the case where the diagnosed person is a juvenile, a parent or guardian of the juvenile must take all reasonably practical steps to notify, within 24 hours after the diagnosed person, or the parent or guardian of the juvenile, is notified about the happening of the event in paragraph (1)(a) or (b) to the diagnosed person —
(a)every other individual whom the parent or guardian knows or ought reasonably to know is a defined contact of the diagnosed person; and
(b)a parent or guardian of every juvenile whom the firstmentioned parent or guardian knows or ought reasonably to know is a defined contact of the diagnosed person,
about all notifiable matters relating to the diagnosed person.
(3)  Paragraphs (1) and (2) apply even if a PCR test result is or may be subsequently determined to be an atypical finding for SARS‑CoV‑2.
(4)  To avoid doubt, paragraph (1) does not limit the effect of any requirement in regulation 13H of the COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020 (G.N. No. S 254/2020).
(5)  An individual who, without reasonable excuse, contravenes paragraph (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.
(6)  However, paragraph (2) does not apply if a parent or guardian of a juvenile who is a diagnosed person knows that another parent or guardian of the juvenile has already notified the notifiable matters as required by that paragraph.
Who is defined contact of diagnosed person
5.—(1)  For the purposes of these Regulations, an individual is a defined contact of a diagnosed person if, at any time during the look‑back period applicable to the diagnosed person, the individual is ordinarily resident in a place of accommodation that the diagnosed person ordinarily also resides in when the diagnosed person is or became a diagnosed person.
(2)  The look‑back period applicable to a diagnosed person means —
(a)in the case where he or she is a diagnosed person because of having been tested positive for SARS‑CoV‑2 upon undergoing a PCR test in Singapore — a period of 7 days before the date on which the diagnosed person so tested positive for SARS‑CoV‑2 and ending on the day the diagnosed person so tested positive for SARS‑CoV‑2; or
(b)in the case where he or she is a diagnosed person because of having been diagnosed as having a COVID‑19 infection — a period of 7 days before the date on which the diagnosed person was so diagnosed and ending on the day the diagnosed person was so diagnosed.
(3)  To avoid doubt, a look‑back period can consist of any time falling before 15 September 2021.
(4)  Without limiting the ordinary meaning, an individual is treated as ordinarily resident, during the look‑back period applicable to a diagnosed person, in a place of accommodation that the diagnosed person ordinarily also resides in if the individual had, at any time during that look‑back period —
(a)stayed in the place of accommodation as a domestic worker or tenant, even if there was no face‑to‑face interaction with the diagnosed person;
(b)stayed as a lodger or resident in any part of the place of accommodation with shared facilities (such as a communal living room, bathroom, laundry or kitchen) which the diagnosed person may have used, even if there was no face‑to‑face interaction with the diagnosed person; or
(c)stayed in the place of accommodation overnight at least once, even if there was no face‑to‑face interaction with the diagnosed person.
Self‑identification by defined contact of diagnosed person
6.—(1)  After an individual who is a defined contact of a diagnosed person, or a parent or guardian of a juvenile who is a defined contact of a diagnosed person —
(a)is notified under regulation 4(1) or (2) about the notifiable matters relating to the diagnosed person; or
(b)earlier becomes aware that the diagnosed person in sub‑paragraph (a) —
(i)has tested positive for SARS‑CoV‑2; or
(ii)has been diagnosed as having a COVID‑19 infection,
the individual or the parent or guardian (as the case may be) must, within 24 hours after being so notified or becoming aware, notify the Director in the form and manner that the Director requires, as follows:
(c)the full name, identification number, address and contact details of the individual or the juvenile;
(d)the full name and identification number of the diagnosed person whom the individual or the juvenile is a defined contact of.
(2)  An individual who, without reasonable excuse, contravenes paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.
(3)  Paragraph (1) does not apply if a parent or guardian of a juvenile knows that another parent or guardian of the juvenile has already notified the matters as required by that paragraph.
Purpose of Regulations
7.  The purpose of these Regulations is to supplement contact‑tracing to limit the spread of COVID‑19, by requiring —
(a)individuals who test positive for SARS‑CoV‑2, or are diagnosed as having a COVID‑19 infection, in Singapore to identify themselves to their respective defined contacts; and
(b)individuals who are living with a diagnosed person, or who are defined contacts of a diagnosed person, to identify themselves to the Director.
Made on 14 September 2021.
NG HOW YUE
Permanent Secretary
(Health Development),
Ministry of Health,
Singapore.
[AG/LEGIS/SL/137/2020/14 Vol. 1]
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