Over 600 Migrant Worker Dormitories Declared Free Of Covid-19 Patients
Despite the rise in Covid-19 cases in the community, there is some good news in Singapore’s fight against the pandemic.
7 additional migrant worker dormitories have been cleared of Covid-19 patients, reports The Straits Times.
This brings the total number of Covid-19 free dormitories to about 632.
Among these 7 were dormitories located in Tuas, Woodlands and Ubi.
Breakdown of worker dormitories cleared
Apart from the latest 7, here’s a breakdown of the dormitory clearance progress, courtesy of Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) press releases:
- 384 on 7 Jul
- 78 on 30 Jun
- 31 on 23 Jun
- 42 on 16 Jun
- 30 on 9 Jun
- 60 on 1 Jun
And as of 6 Jul, about 180,000 workers have recovered, or are confirmed to be free of Covid-19 after tests.
Some of them are awaiting to be relocated to “appropriate accommodations” before they go back to work.
Aggressive testing by inter-agency task force
More than 10,000 swab tests are currently being conducted daily to identify and eliminate Covid-19 clusters.
This comes as part of Singapore’s inter-agency task force’s efforts to reduce the spread of Covid-19 infections in the migrant worker population.
80,000 migrant workers expected to rejoin the workforce
In a virtual briefing on 25 Jun, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong announced that 70-80% of the migrant worker population are expected to rejoin the workforce by the end of July, reports The Straits Times.
Minister Wong said they hope to test and clear the other 20% of workers next month.
The Straits Times reported that there are 323,000 migrant workers living in dormitories. They make up over 90% of Covid-19 cases in Singapore.
New programme to improve living standards in dormitories
As migrant workers are a particularly vulnerable group against Covid-19 infections, the government has implemented a new programme targeted to improve the living standards of dormitories.
These plans include:
- A minimum of 6 sq m of unshared living space per resident
- A maximum of 10 single-decked beds with 1m spacing per room
- One shared bathroom for every 5 beds
- 15 sick bay beds per 1,000 bed space.
More of these dormitories with “higher living standards” will be built in coming months and years.
Important to continue practising Covid-19 measures
This latest development comes as good news for businesses that rely on migrant workers, as more businesses begin reopening during Phase 2.
However, it is important that employers maintain safe distancing measures in both their workplace and dormitories, so as to prevent another wave of infections.
Featured image adapted from Twitter.
