By Tee Zhuo, The Sunday Times, 19 Apr 2020
On Thursday night, I was on a phone call with N, a 29-year-old Bangladeshi construction worker who has been here for eight years. He is now quarantined in Cochrane Lodge I.
Had I written this sentence a month ago, I might have to explain to readers that this is a licensed dormitory in the north of the island housing thousands of foreign workers. I probably don't need to now.
Cochrane was one of the first few dormitories with cases of COVID-19. The vast majority of new cases are now linked to these sites.
For the average Singaporean, these workers were probably invisible until this "explosion" of coronavirus infections.
When my colleague Joyce Lim reported on squalid conditions at S11 Dormitory @ Punggol earlier this month, it came as a shock to many.
Although the situation at that time might have been worse as it was being turned into an isolation area, foreign workers here have always lived in generally bad conditions.
Since 2008, several migrant worker groups have called for better workers' housing after dengue fever, Zika virus and even chickenpox outbreaks over the years.
In a March 22 letter to The Straits Times headlined "Employers' practices leave foreign workers vulnerable to infection", Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) president Deborah D. Fordyce said the risk of a cluster among workers at dormitories is "undeniable", with so many squeezed into a room.
A week later, the first cluster at S11 was reported.
Yet, based on letters and comments sent to the media, some of the concern caused by these alarming numbers is not for the workers.
One reader who called The Straits Times last week asked the media to "investigate whether these workers are gaming the system", wondering why "all of a sudden so many hundreds of them are ill at the same time".
A Facebook user said foreign workers should be sent home, as they were making Singapore's COVID-19 case numbers look bad.
A letter from a Lianhe Zaobao reader blamed foreign workers, who she said come from backward countries with poor hygiene habits like eating with their hands, which Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam called out on Friday for being xenophobic.
Sadly, the comments reveal a rather ugly side to what some Singaporeans think of migrant workers, even as other locals have rallied to donate tens of thousands of dollars to efforts helping them.
To speak of those stricken with the disease as just digits that will make the national count "look bad", or to suggest workers are faking illness, exhibits a lack of empathy at the very least.
In a Facebook post responding to the Zaobao letter, MP Zainal Sapari said he is proud of eating with his hands, which is part of his culture and has "nothing to do with personal hygiene or bad habits".
"Some of the comments...reek of racism and prejudices of the culture of other races," he said.
Migrant workers I met while on assignment last month had already taken precautions like wearing masks and safe distancing way before they were made compulsory.
In contrast, more than a week into the circuit breaker, some locals still flout rules and have even attacked enforcement officers.
In a pandemic, a certain degree of fear is understandable. COVID-19 has been highly contagious and can be transmitted asymptomatically, and we may suspect even our own neighbours and relatives of carrying the virus.
But when confronted with high numbers at the dormitories, I would ask Singaporeans to first hear from foreign workers themselves, instead of jumping to stereotypes.
Over the course of half an hour, N spoke of many issues that he and other workers at the dormitories have continued to put up with, despite the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) efforts. Several other worker and civil society groups have also raised these conditions.
These included cramped and ill-ventilated rooms, food that is under-cooked or tastes bad, as well as worries about not having been paid salaries for several months, leaving them unable to contact anxious families back home as their SIM cards have run out of money.
Out of desperation, some workers have taken to commenting about these issues on MOM's social media posts showcasing efforts at dormitories, risking possible retaliation from their employers and dormitory operators.
I also ask that Singaporeans think about what we take for granted.
As I called N, I did so in my own room with air-conditioning. The last time I had to share living quarters with 11 others was during national service - and, even then, the room was both spacious and well-ventilated.
We have come to expect detailed information on each day's new COVID-19 cases, and start grumbling when they have not been released yet by the evening.
N, on the other hand, said no one tells them how many cases their own dormitory has, and workers grow anxious with only the sounds of the ambulance arriving and then leaving the premises.
N's fellow countrymen, who have travelled thousands of kilometres to a foreign land, built the very apartment block I call home.
Despite their toil in building this city, few knew or cared where or how foreign workers were housed before this crisis. Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying goes - an attitude I, too, was guilty of.
There is much that can be done right now. For example, if you do not need your $600 Solidarity Payment, you can donate it at #HOMEFORALL Migrants - which shares it with migrant groups, including TWC2 and Home.
The money will be used to help workers with meals and supplies, improve hygiene and also Internet connectivity.
What about the longer term?
Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said finger-pointing during a crisis when her team is working round the clock is not helpful, but has pledged to improve the dormitory system after the pandemic.
If the present crisis has shone a light on anything, it is that conditions at workers' dormitories were already poor even before this. COVID-19 will also not be the last pandemic to hit such workers the hardest.
I hope migrant workers will not become invisible and forgotten, and we will not once again forsake them after the pandemic passes.
On Thursday night, I was on a phone call with N, a 29-year-old Bangladeshi construction worker who has been here for eight years. He is now quarantined in Cochrane Lodge I.
Had I written this sentence a month ago, I might have to explain to readers that this is a licensed dormitory in the north of the island housing thousands of foreign workers. I probably don't need to now.
Cochrane was one of the first few dormitories with cases of COVID-19. The vast majority of new cases are now linked to these sites.
For the average Singaporean, these workers were probably invisible until this "explosion" of coronavirus infections.
When my colleague Joyce Lim reported on squalid conditions at S11 Dormitory @ Punggol earlier this month, it came as a shock to many.
Although the situation at that time might have been worse as it was being turned into an isolation area, foreign workers here have always lived in generally bad conditions.
Since 2008, several migrant worker groups have called for better workers' housing after dengue fever, Zika virus and even chickenpox outbreaks over the years.
In a March 22 letter to The Straits Times headlined "Employers' practices leave foreign workers vulnerable to infection", Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) president Deborah D. Fordyce said the risk of a cluster among workers at dormitories is "undeniable", with so many squeezed into a room.
A week later, the first cluster at S11 was reported.
Yet, based on letters and comments sent to the media, some of the concern caused by these alarming numbers is not for the workers.
One reader who called The Straits Times last week asked the media to "investigate whether these workers are gaming the system", wondering why "all of a sudden so many hundreds of them are ill at the same time".
A Facebook user said foreign workers should be sent home, as they were making Singapore's COVID-19 case numbers look bad.
A letter from a Lianhe Zaobao reader blamed foreign workers, who she said come from backward countries with poor hygiene habits like eating with their hands, which Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam called out on Friday for being xenophobic.
Sadly, the comments reveal a rather ugly side to what some Singaporeans think of migrant workers, even as other locals have rallied to donate tens of thousands of dollars to efforts helping them.
To speak of those stricken with the disease as just digits that will make the national count "look bad", or to suggest workers are faking illness, exhibits a lack of empathy at the very least.
In a Facebook post responding to the Zaobao letter, MP Zainal Sapari said he is proud of eating with his hands, which is part of his culture and has "nothing to do with personal hygiene or bad habits".
"Some of the comments...reek of racism and prejudices of the culture of other races," he said.
Migrant workers I met while on assignment last month had already taken precautions like wearing masks and safe distancing way before they were made compulsory.
In contrast, more than a week into the circuit breaker, some locals still flout rules and have even attacked enforcement officers.
In a pandemic, a certain degree of fear is understandable. COVID-19 has been highly contagious and can be transmitted asymptomatically, and we may suspect even our own neighbours and relatives of carrying the virus.
But when confronted with high numbers at the dormitories, I would ask Singaporeans to first hear from foreign workers themselves, instead of jumping to stereotypes.
Over the course of half an hour, N spoke of many issues that he and other workers at the dormitories have continued to put up with, despite the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) efforts. Several other worker and civil society groups have also raised these conditions.
These included cramped and ill-ventilated rooms, food that is under-cooked or tastes bad, as well as worries about not having been paid salaries for several months, leaving them unable to contact anxious families back home as their SIM cards have run out of money.
Out of desperation, some workers have taken to commenting about these issues on MOM's social media posts showcasing efforts at dormitories, risking possible retaliation from their employers and dormitory operators.
I also ask that Singaporeans think about what we take for granted.
As I called N, I did so in my own room with air-conditioning. The last time I had to share living quarters with 11 others was during national service - and, even then, the room was both spacious and well-ventilated.
We have come to expect detailed information on each day's new COVID-19 cases, and start grumbling when they have not been released yet by the evening.
N, on the other hand, said no one tells them how many cases their own dormitory has, and workers grow anxious with only the sounds of the ambulance arriving and then leaving the premises.
N's fellow countrymen, who have travelled thousands of kilometres to a foreign land, built the very apartment block I call home.
Despite their toil in building this city, few knew or cared where or how foreign workers were housed before this crisis. Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying goes - an attitude I, too, was guilty of.
There is much that can be done right now. For example, if you do not need your $600 Solidarity Payment, you can donate it at #HOMEFORALL Migrants - which shares it with migrant groups, including TWC2 and Home.
The money will be used to help workers with meals and supplies, improve hygiene and also Internet connectivity.
What about the longer term?
Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said finger-pointing during a crisis when her team is working round the clock is not helpful, but has pledged to improve the dormitory system after the pandemic.
If the present crisis has shone a light on anything, it is that conditions at workers' dormitories were already poor even before this. COVID-19 will also not be the last pandemic to hit such workers the hardest.
I hope migrant workers will not become invisible and forgotten, and we will not once again forsake them after the pandemic passes.
We will look after you, Ministry of Manpower assures foreign workers
They will also get virtual counselling, as MOM looks to better coordinate efforts with NGOs
By Prisca Ang, The Sunday Times, 19 Apr 2020
The inter-agency task force will be working more closely with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help migrant workers who have been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Set up earlier this month to provide support to foreign workers and dormitory operators, the task force has been partnering the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) to assist foreign workers, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement on Friday.
For instance, more than 5,000 foreign worker ambassadors from MWC have been tapped to disseminate information to foreign workers and relay their feedback.
"The task force recognises the potential contributions of NGOs and deeply appreciates their cooperation. We have started to coordinate efforts with NGOs that have voluntarily stepped forward," said MOM.
The task force is also working with NGOs such as the Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach, Itsrainingraincoats, Geylang Adventures and Crisis Relief Alliance to reach out to more foreign workers.
Besides catering to the workers' daily needs, the task force is working with charity HealthServe to provide free virtual counselling sessions by 69 volunteers.
Trial sessions are ongoing at Westlite Toh Guan Dormitory, with plans to offer the service to more dormitories progressively.
Government agencies are also ramping up efforts to communicate with migrant workers.
In a video posted on Facebook yesterday, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo urged migrant workers to see a doctor if they are unwell, stay in their rooms, keep in touch with others through the Wi-Fi and data SIM cards they have been provided with, and maintain personal hygiene.
Medical posts are being set up at all 43 purpose-built dormitories and other locations, she added. Nearby clinics may serve as medical posts for some dormitories.
"Anyone who is tested positive will be taken care of. We will help you to recover. In fact, many of the workers we have treated have fully recovered," she said in the video, which has subtitles in Tamil and Bengali.
The public health sector, with help from the Singapore Armed Forces, is using another video with versions in Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Chinese and English to advise workers on what they can do to protect themselves from the coronavirus, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Facebook.
The video by SingHealth assured workers that the Government will pay for their hospital costs related to COVID-19, that their employers will continue to pay their salaries, and that they will not lose their jobs.
Bangladeshi national Ahmed Amad, 31, said his colleagues and friends were initially worried about losing their livelihoods due to the pandemic, but their fears have since been alleviated by their employers and the authorities.
"Now everyone is more at ease," said Mr Ahmed, a safety professional in the construction sector.
However, some feel that more can be done to help foreign workers.
Although migrant workers have been provided with data SIM cards, these hardly cover calls and text messages, which are their main method to communicate with their loved ones back home, said TWC2 general manager Ethan Guo.
TWC2 started a fund-raising campaign on April 5 to top up migrant workers' pre-paid SIM cards. The campaign has raised about $170,000, but this is still not enough to meet workers' demand for such SIM cards, he added.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Mrs Teo highlighted the importance of coordinating government and NGO efforts.
Uncoordinated actions risk the integrity of ground operations and can result in wasted resources, such as perishable food items that are not distributed in time, she said.
"There is also the need to protect the health and safety of these volunteers," she added, urging all interested parties to be patient and understanding, and to work through the task force to meet workers' needs.
They will also get virtual counselling, as MOM looks to better coordinate efforts with NGOs
By Prisca Ang, The Sunday Times, 19 Apr 2020
The inter-agency task force will be working more closely with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help migrant workers who have been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Set up earlier this month to provide support to foreign workers and dormitory operators, the task force has been partnering the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) to assist foreign workers, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement on Friday.
For instance, more than 5,000 foreign worker ambassadors from MWC have been tapped to disseminate information to foreign workers and relay their feedback.
"The task force recognises the potential contributions of NGOs and deeply appreciates their cooperation. We have started to coordinate efforts with NGOs that have voluntarily stepped forward," said MOM.
The task force is also working with NGOs such as the Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach, Itsrainingraincoats, Geylang Adventures and Crisis Relief Alliance to reach out to more foreign workers.
Besides catering to the workers' daily needs, the task force is working with charity HealthServe to provide free virtual counselling sessions by 69 volunteers.
Trial sessions are ongoing at Westlite Toh Guan Dormitory, with plans to offer the service to more dormitories progressively.
Government agencies are also ramping up efforts to communicate with migrant workers.
In a video posted on Facebook yesterday, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo urged migrant workers to see a doctor if they are unwell, stay in their rooms, keep in touch with others through the Wi-Fi and data SIM cards they have been provided with, and maintain personal hygiene.
Medical posts are being set up at all 43 purpose-built dormitories and other locations, she added. Nearby clinics may serve as medical posts for some dormitories.
"Anyone who is tested positive will be taken care of. We will help you to recover. In fact, many of the workers we have treated have fully recovered," she said in the video, which has subtitles in Tamil and Bengali.
The public health sector, with help from the Singapore Armed Forces, is using another video with versions in Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Chinese and English to advise workers on what they can do to protect themselves from the coronavirus, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Facebook.
The video by SingHealth assured workers that the Government will pay for their hospital costs related to COVID-19, that their employers will continue to pay their salaries, and that they will not lose their jobs.
Bangladeshi national Ahmed Amad, 31, said his colleagues and friends were initially worried about losing their livelihoods due to the pandemic, but their fears have since been alleviated by their employers and the authorities.
"Now everyone is more at ease," said Mr Ahmed, a safety professional in the construction sector.
However, some feel that more can be done to help foreign workers.
Although migrant workers have been provided with data SIM cards, these hardly cover calls and text messages, which are their main method to communicate with their loved ones back home, said TWC2 general manager Ethan Guo.
TWC2 started a fund-raising campaign on April 5 to top up migrant workers' pre-paid SIM cards. The campaign has raised about $170,000, but this is still not enough to meet workers' demand for such SIM cards, he added.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Mrs Teo highlighted the importance of coordinating government and NGO efforts.
Uncoordinated actions risk the integrity of ground operations and can result in wasted resources, such as perishable food items that are not distributed in time, she said.
"There is also the need to protect the health and safety of these volunteers," she added, urging all interested parties to be patient and understanding, and to work through the task force to meet workers' needs.
COVID-19 outbreak brings migrant workers from margin to centre of Singapore's attention
Coronavirus has brought to the fore foreign workers and their living conditions. It's time to rethink how we treat this group who are our guests, to whom we owe a duty of care.
By Yuen Sin, The Straits Times, 30 Apr 2020
In less than a month, the number of coronavirus cases in Singapore has increased 15 times, swelling from 1,000 to more than 15,000 cases.
With foreign workers in dormitories accounting for most of the new cases reported this month, another contagion has been taking hold among Singaporeans - that of prejudice and discrimination.
A forum letter published in Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao earlier this month blamed the COVID-19 outbreak in dormitories on migrant workers' personal hygiene and living habits, sparking a discussion online after Ms Poh Yong Han, 22, a Singaporean student at Harvard University, translated it from Chinese to English in a Facebook post.
Last week, socialite Jamie Chua drew flak for an Instagram post about how she had a "disturbing nightmare" where she "dreamt of the Indian workers dorm and they were all rushing into my house".
Many foreign workers in dorms are from Bangladesh, India and China, with smaller numbers from South-east Asia and other parts of South Asia.
Meanwhile, a WhatsApp message circulating widely claimed that foreign workers are infecting foreign domestic workers (FDWs) with COVID-19, thus spreading it to families in Singapore.
While diseases do not discriminate by race, class, religion, gender or other identity markers, pandemics can unveil deep-seated social prejudices - and Singapore is not immune to that.
RACISM, XENOPHOBIA AND CLASSISM
Why the antagonism towards foreign workers?
When social anxiety is high amid a crisis such as COVID-19, some will naturally fall back onto pre-existing stereotypes and act upon their prejudices in order to make sense of their situation, said Mr Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib, director of the Centre for Interfaith Understanding.
"Of course, how they make sense of the problem (in other words, the pandemic) is deeply misguided, racist and xenophobic... To them, the problem is always 'other people,'" he added.
Racism is clearly seen when individuals like Ms Chua single out the race of foreign workers and illogically associate them with fear.
Never mind the fact that they gather under trees or on fields because there are often no accessible or affordable places for these workers to take a breather after a hard week's work, in the same way that Singaporeans kick back with beers with friends in kopitiams, bars or at home.
An article in The New Paper (TNP) last week also debunks the assumption that FDWs somehow pose a higher risk of transmitting the virus, just because some of them could be in relationships with foreign workers.
The Ministry of Health told TNP that none of the 17 FDWs diagnosed with COVID-19 contracted it from foreign workers. In fact, most were infected by their employers.
And even if such cases did emerge - so what? There have been cases where local COVID-19 patients were also infected by their spouses or partners, which is likely to occur if there had been close contact.
Such attitudes indicate xenophobia, where a double standard is imposed - foreigners are seen as immoral or irresponsible for having relationships and social contact, and the consequences of doing so are far more exaggerated for this group than for us Singaporeans.
LACK OF INTERACTION
To be fair, not all Singaporeans think this way. The COVID-19 situation in workers' quarters has also prompted many to step forward to help by distributing masks, food and care packs to the dorms. Others have also donated their Solidarity Payments and more to the workers, with hundreds of thousands of dollars raised in just a few days. But structural factors could be a reason for some Singaporeans' prejudiced views.
Dr Mathew Mathews, head of the Institute of Policy Studies' Social Lab, noted that migrant communities are largely segregated from the resident population in dormitories or construction sites.
"Singaporeans have, at various times, expressed their concern that they do not want to be living near the foreign worker population because they are seen as culturally very different and sometimes dangerous. This greatly reduces opportunities for interaction and the fostering of mutual trust and understanding," he said.
An International Labour Organisation study published last year also found that those who interact with migrant workers are more likely to support their presence, while those who do not are less likely to do so.
The study surveyed 4,099 nationals in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan, using a set of questions to determine support levels for migrants among citizens.
It also collected data on how frequently they interacted with migrants, among other things, before conducting a statistical analysis on the links between the factors.
The lack of interaction could contribute to negative views of migrant workers, and further drive a wedge between both groups.
It has not always been this way.
Before 2006, foreign construction workers were allowed to stay in Housing Board (HDB) flats, though the HDB later tightened this rule, partly in response to complaints about foreign workers in HDB estates.
However, Malaysian construction workers are exempt because the country is a traditional source for workers and "HDB residents have grown accustomed to having them living in their midst", the board had said back then.
In the interim years between 2006 and this year, the number of workers' dormitories - initially numbering slightly more than 20 - has multiplied as the demand for construction workers grew in tandem with plans for massive projects such as the integrated resorts.
In 2006, about half of the 160,000 foreign construction workers here remained in on-site housing at construction sites. As thousands more arrived, many were housed in dormitories in areas such as Tuas and Mandai, farther away from residential centres.
In 2008, about 1,400 out of 7,000 residents signed a petition to object to a proposed workers' dormitory in the Serangoon Gardens landed estate. In response, then Foreign Minister George Yeo said that the Ministry of National Development was "seriously considering how to create townships for foreign workers which are sustainable and self-contained".
Since then, more large purpose-built dormitories have come up. These dorms - run by commercial operators - may come with cinemas, cricket fields, and vendors providing services such as remittance and the sale of phone cards nearby. The rationale was to provide these on-site to encourage workers to stay in, rather than congregate elsewhere.
Today, there are 43 such purpose-built dormitories and about 1,200 more factory-converted dormitories.
More than 80 per cent of these purpose-built dormitories now have COVID-19 clusters.
These policy changes over the years are a double-edged sword.
While purpose-built dormitories are an improvement from illegal or unsafe housing locations such as rubbish bin centres, it also means that the majority of migrant workers are now isolated away from the population in far-flung housing and places of recreation exclusive to them.
Most Singaporeans turn a blind eye to this invisible class of workers, who are out of sight and out of mind. Many locals are unaware of the structural issues they face in terms of housing or welfare. The issues in the past - the lack of trust and interaction between the different groups - remain buried.
So, when a crisis like COVID-19 erupts, some are quick to point fingers at the workers without even having had the chance or opportunity to forge an understanding of issues faced by this group.
The use of terms such as "community spread" and "two separate epidemics" amid the pandemic further drives this us-versus-them mentality, noted Singapore University of Technology and Design senior lecturer Nazry Bahrawi.
This is because it suggests that foreign workers are not part of the Singapore community, he said.
FINDING A CURE FOR PREJUDICE
Manpower Minister Josephine Teo has pledged to improve the dormitory system after the pandemic.
Many other issues will need to be addressed. Who should foot the bill when standards in dorms are raised? Can companies raise productivity to be less reliant on foreign workers in construction?
On Monday, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force on COVID-19, also said that the Government is looking into new housing arrangements for workers who have recovered from COVID-19 as part of long-term plans for housing foreign workers.
Details are not available yet, but policymakers have long spoken of how planning for workers' housing is tricky business, given the "not in my backyard" (Nimby) tendencies of Singaporeans.
With local coronavirus case figures now exploding, it is no longer possible for Singaporeans to remain apathetic to the issues confronting foreign workers.
Indeed, many who were previously ignorant or uncaring about their plight have now responded with compassion and sympathy.
An unprecedented resettlement of workers is now taking place islandwide. Thousands of workers have moved out of the dorms to other sites in a bid to reduce the dorms' density or isolate those with symptoms. The spaces they now live in are within our communities: HDB blocks in Jurong and Bukit Merah, Northshore Primary School in Punggol, as well as the former Anderson Junior College hostel in Ang Mo Kio.
This is the perfect chance for Singaporeans to show that Nimbyism will not be a limiting factor should residential areas be considered as alternative sites for workers' long-term housing.
A volunteer-led initiative, Welcome In My Backyard, has already kicked off. It aims to transform mindsets towards foreign workers and engage residents in housing estates to welcome them by partnering with grassroots volunteers, community groups and resident-ambassadors, starting with Bukit Merah.
Meanwhile, ordinary Singaporeans can start by welcoming, not shunning, the workers rehoused in our neighbourhoods.
It can bring about a longer-term change in mindsets if the right policies, programmes and infrastructure are brought into the mix to encourage interaction between Singaporeans and foreign workers in common public spaces in housing estates.
As tens of thousands of migrant workers are quarantined in their dorms to keep the rest of Singapore safe, it is time for Singaporeans as a whole to wake up to the reality of this large pool of workers in our midst, our guests to whom we owe a duty of care.
Migrant workers are part of our community. COVID-19 has brought them front and centre into our lives. It is time we stopped pushing them to the margins and started the hard work of integrating them better into our society.
Next few days critical in fight against COVID-19: PM Lee Hsien Loong
New high of 942 cases on 18 April 2020, with 893 in dorms; 14-day stay-home notice for all construction workers
By Linette Lai, Political Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 19 Apr 2020
The next few days will be critical in Singapore's fight against the coronavirus, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday, 18 April, as the number of new cases hit a daily high of 942, and new restrictions were announced on foreign workers in construction.
Twelve days into the circuit breaker, there are a few early signs that measures to reduce physical interaction among people are bringing cases down in the broader community, he said.
The number of local cases continued to dip, with 22 cases in the community - the lowest daily figure since the circuit breaker began.
"But we are still worried about hidden cases circulating in our population, which are keeping the outbreak going," PM Lee added.
"The next few days will be critical. All of us must do our part, in order to defeat COVID-19."
Singapore has 5,992 cases to date. Even so, close to 200 people were issued fines for flouting safe distancing measures yesterday, with more than 80 facing fines for not wearing a mask outside their homes. A man was charged in court for assaulting a safe distancing ambassador after being told not to loiter in public.
In migrant worker dormitories, where crowded living conditions and active testing have resulted in a sharp spike in the number of cases over the past week, efforts are under way to further break the chain of transmission.
From tomorrow, 20 April, all work permit and S Pass holders in the construction sector will be put on a 14-day stay-home notice, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) yesterday.
While the recent rise in cases has been mostly concentrated in dormitories - there were 893 such cases reported yesterday, bringing the total to 4,162 - contact tracing suggests that transmission at common construction worksites may have contributed to the increase.
That is why MOM is taking the precautionary measure of getting all work permit holders and S Pass holders (mid-skilled workers) in the industry to stay home, along with their dependants.
There are more than 280,000 work permit holders in construction, most of whom are already quarantined in dorms.
Construction work has generally ceased here, except for that in progress for critical public infrastructure, maintenance and services.
Following the spike in coronavirus infections among foreign workers here, Malaysia said yesterday that it will also carry out mass testing for its foreign workers and is in the process of identifying high-risk groups and hot spots.
Meanwhile, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo assured workers here in a video message that anyone who tests positive for the virus will be taken care of.
Labour chief Ng Chee Meng also added in a separate post that the labour movement, together with the Migrant Workers' Centre, will "leave no stone unturned" to help migrant workers. They "have helped build our homes, and contributed in many other areas. In this time of crisis, it is only right that we too look after them", he said.
The measures to break the chain of transmission in dormitories will take some time to show results, PM Lee said. This means Singaporeans must expect to see more such cases for a while longer, "but we are building up our healthcare and isolation facilities to handle the load".
PM Lee said migrant workers who are ill are getting the medical treatment they need. "Fortunately, the vast majority of the cases are mild, because the workers are young. Our healthcare teams continue to monitor their conditions," he added.
New high of 942 cases on 18 April 2020, with 893 in dorms; 14-day stay-home notice for all construction workers
By Linette Lai, Political Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 19 Apr 2020
The next few days will be critical in Singapore's fight against the coronavirus, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday, 18 April, as the number of new cases hit a daily high of 942, and new restrictions were announced on foreign workers in construction.
Twelve days into the circuit breaker, there are a few early signs that measures to reduce physical interaction among people are bringing cases down in the broader community, he said.
The number of local cases continued to dip, with 22 cases in the community - the lowest daily figure since the circuit breaker began.
"But we are still worried about hidden cases circulating in our population, which are keeping the outbreak going," PM Lee added.
"The next few days will be critical. All of us must do our part, in order to defeat COVID-19."
Singapore has 5,992 cases to date. Even so, close to 200 people were issued fines for flouting safe distancing measures yesterday, with more than 80 facing fines for not wearing a mask outside their homes. A man was charged in court for assaulting a safe distancing ambassador after being told not to loiter in public.
In migrant worker dormitories, where crowded living conditions and active testing have resulted in a sharp spike in the number of cases over the past week, efforts are under way to further break the chain of transmission.
From tomorrow, 20 April, all work permit and S Pass holders in the construction sector will be put on a 14-day stay-home notice, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) yesterday.
While the recent rise in cases has been mostly concentrated in dormitories - there were 893 such cases reported yesterday, bringing the total to 4,162 - contact tracing suggests that transmission at common construction worksites may have contributed to the increase.
That is why MOM is taking the precautionary measure of getting all work permit holders and S Pass holders (mid-skilled workers) in the industry to stay home, along with their dependants.
There are more than 280,000 work permit holders in construction, most of whom are already quarantined in dorms.
Construction work has generally ceased here, except for that in progress for critical public infrastructure, maintenance and services.
Following the spike in coronavirus infections among foreign workers here, Malaysia said yesterday that it will also carry out mass testing for its foreign workers and is in the process of identifying high-risk groups and hot spots.
Meanwhile, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo assured workers here in a video message that anyone who tests positive for the virus will be taken care of.
Labour chief Ng Chee Meng also added in a separate post that the labour movement, together with the Migrant Workers' Centre, will "leave no stone unturned" to help migrant workers. They "have helped build our homes, and contributed in many other areas. In this time of crisis, it is only right that we too look after them", he said.
The measures to break the chain of transmission in dormitories will take some time to show results, PM Lee said. This means Singaporeans must expect to see more such cases for a while longer, "but we are building up our healthcare and isolation facilities to handle the load".
PM Lee said migrant workers who are ill are getting the medical treatment they need. "Fortunately, the vast majority of the cases are mild, because the workers are young. Our healthcare teams continue to monitor their conditions," he added.
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