Members of the crew of Singapore Airlines are prohibited from leaving their rooms on a layover.

The carrier now needs them to wear a tracking device for the duration of their stay to ensure they comply with the regulations.

The COVID precautionary regulations have created a number of incidents with the airline crew.

A KLM flight attendant was arrested in Singapore in mid-December because he had left his hotel room. The suspected cluster of Sydney Avalon began with an airline team that spent the night in Avalon and had a drink with their colleagues.

An EVA Air pilot was fired after bringing the virus back to Taiwan from the US and failing to comply with the authorities’ track-and-trace efforts just before Christmas. There is also the infamous case of China requesting that flight attendants wear nappies on board to avoid using the lavatory.

Singapore Airlines is improving its personnel surveillance in order to avoid the chances of bringing COVID cases into the country. According to The Straits Times, a tracking system would be needed for the flight crew of the airline that has to remain abroad.

This will mean that they comply with a law that allows them to always stay in their hotel rooms. It is also forbidden to engage physically throughout the time of layovers.

These regulations follow the requirements of a package that was placed into effect shortly before the new year for airline crew from the Singapore Civil Aviation Authority (CAAS). To meet the social distance criteria, flight attendants of Singapore Airlines are not allowed to gather in their galleys, stagger mealtimes, and remain in their allocated work area of the aircraft.

During briefings and transport from and to the airport before the flight, they must also keep apart. In addition to the compulsory mask in-flight, goggles and gloves are also required for passenger interaction. Complete PPE -like N95 masks and protective garments - are compulsory on flights from the UK and South Africa.

The crew must go straight to their homes after the initial PCR test when they come back to Singapore.

If they come from a high-risk location, they will need to isolate for seven days or more. Then they have to take three different PCR tests — one on arrival, three days later and a week later.