SINGAPORE — Concerned that many seniors aged 70 and older are still not vaccinated against Covid-19, NTUC FairPrice will again allow family members of the Pioneer Generation to buy discounted groceries on their behalf.

They may do so from next Monday (July 26) until Aug 31, the supermarket group said on Friday.

Under the initiative, family members of Pioneer Generation seniors — born in 1949 or earlier — can present their relative’s Pioneer Generation card to receive a 3 per cent discount at FairPrice supermarkets and Unity pharmacies on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The discount applies to purchases of up to S$200.

FairPrice’s Pioneer Generation Proxy initiative was first introduced during Singapore’s circuit breaker in April and May last year, when non-essential businesses were shut and movement controls imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19.  

This was to keep seniors safe by encouraging them to stay home during the partial lockdown. 

With Singapore on Thursday re-entering a phase of heightened alert against the coronavirus, FairPrice said that it was again encouraging seniors to stay home and making this exception so that their relatives who run errands on their behalf may receive the discounts.

Mr Seah Kian Peng, FairPrice’s group chief executive officer, said that the chain noted “with concern” that many seniors aged 70 and above are still not vaccinated.

“This initiative also encourages family members to check in with their elderly parents who may be living on their own as we recognise having strong family support is important to one's overall well-being,” he added. 

As of Monday, about 200,000 seniors above 60 years old have not yet received their Covid-19 vaccine shots, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said.

Among the 162 locally transmitted coronavirus cases reported in Singapore on Thursday, six were seniors aged above 70 who are not vaccinated or partially vaccinated, and are at risk of serious illness.