My wife and I are proud parents of a Singapore Airlines (SIA) cabin crew member.

Despite all the precautions against Covid-19, we cannot help but feel extreme unease each time our son goes to work, although at very low frequency.

Upon his return from a trip to London during the circuit breaker, we had him stay away from home for 14 days before letting him come back.

That was costly — more than S$1,500 in accommodation costs alone — but we had to do it, as we did not know what to expect. I am 70 years old and on long-term medication for my heart condition. 

For my son’s subsequent trips, we let him come home on his return, but we lived in constant fear that he might have been infected on his flights.

We endured by wearing masks at home until his coronavirus swab tests came back negative days after his flights. 

Since August, cabin crew and pilots working for SIA and other Singapore carriers have routinely undergone polymerase chain reaction tests for Covid-19.

With more SIA flights being reinstated, we are both happy and fearful, especially since the airline serves Europe and the United States, where outbreaks continue.

The crew members' flight duties put them at greater risk of contracting Covid-19 from overseas, which has been the main source of new infections in Singapore of late.

I wish to propose that the Government and SIA utilise the community isolation facilities used to house migrant workers and other patients with Covid-19 — such as the D’Resort chalet in Pasir Ris — to temporarily house cabin crew upon their return until their swab test results are known.

This way, their families would not have to live in fear.

SIA cannot do this alone. It will need the support of the Government. If we can do it for our migrant workers, I am sure there is good reason to do it for our SIA cabin crew as well.

This would greatly reduce the anxiety and fear that our cabin crew's families go through each day.

Until the day when Covid-19 is totally under control or eradicated, this would be a good temporary measure for our cabin crew.

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