S11 Dorm @ Punggol Apparently Has A Cinema & Gym, Far Cry From Grimy Images Of Covid-19 Cluster

S11 Dormitory @ Punggol Has Many Quality Facilities, But Now People Are Decrying Its Poor Living Conditions

The Covid-19 outbreak in Singapore has cast a very harsh spotlight on the living conditions of our foreign workers, with the virus spreading like wildfire among them.

The S11 Dormitory @ Punggol, in particular, has been at the receiving end of much criticism, given that it’s now the biggest cluster in Singapore with 2,275 cases as of Sunday (27 Apr).

However, it may not be widely known that just four years ago, the dorm at 2 Seletar North Link was hailed for its welfare-oriented facilities like a cinema, gym and supermarket.

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ST article showed dormitory in a positive light

A Facebook post on Sunday (26 Apr) by Critical Spectator pointed out that an article by The Straits Times in 2016 showed a different perspective of this now-infamous dormitory, which was also called PPT Lodge 1B.

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S11 dorm had various leisure facilities

Apparently, the 14,000 workers staying at the dorm were spoilt for choice among various leisure activities, as could be seen from photos in the ST article and also the S11 website.

While Singaporeans flocked to Golden Village multiplexes around Singapore to catch the latest Hollywood blockbuster, the workers at S11 @ Punggol had one at their doorstep screening Hindi and Tamil blockbusters — it had two halls of 200 seats each, with plush cushioned seats.

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If movies aren’t their cup of tea, workers could also train up their muscles in the gym.

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Workers could also indulge in the simple joys of an arcade game after a hard day’s work.

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Furthermore, the ST article also mentioned that a mini-carnival would be held from time to time, featuring dunking machines and rodeos, as well as concerts with emcees and dancing.

Essential amenities provided too

Of course, there’s no point in having entertainment when one’s essential needs aren’t taken care of.

To that end, there’s a supermarket stocked with food so the workers could cook what they wanted.

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If they don’t want to cook, there’s a large for food court so they can “dine out”.

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There are even mobile stores selling phone cards so they can call home.

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According to the ST article, there’s also a barber manned by hairstylists who used to work at Jean Yip.

We can’t believe we’re saying this, but it’s almost like a mall.

Jarring juxtaposition from more recent images

These images depict S11 @ Punggol as an absolute paradise, a jarring juxtaposition from the other, more recent images of the dorm that depict cramped living conditions, refuse-strewn corridors and flooded floors.

More recently, ST also did an article on the “crowded, cramped” living conditions at the dorm.

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Many other dormitories are well-equipped

In fact, the Critical Spectator’s post also named other dorms, like Changi Lodge 2 and Aspri-Westlite Papan Dormitory near Jurong Island as catered to the welfare of foreign workers.

Changi Lodge 2, with 4,000 workers, was the predecessor of S11 @ Punggol. They share the same operator and the Punggol was built after the success of Changi Lodge 2.

Changi Lodge 2 is also a Covid-19 cluster, with 269 cases, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH).

As for Aspri-Westlite Papan, the $200 million dorm was touted to have facilites like TV and game rooms, a barber, minimart, outdoor and indoor recreation areas, and a 24-hour counselling hotline, according to another article by ST in 2015.

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Unfortunately, the Aspri-Westlite Papan Dormitory has now also become a Covid-19 cluster, with 13 cases so far, according to the MOH.

What has changed at these dorms since then? We can’t be sure, though these stories from a few years ago do change our minds about what Singapore dormitories are like.

And we acknowledge that there has been effort to improve standards of living for our migrant workers, despite the possible problems of maintaining such standards.

Maintaining good living conditions for our migrant workers

Which is the “real” S11 Dormitory @ Punggol? Perhaps it’s somewhere in between.

Certainly, this does not mean that we should stop campaigning for better living spaces for migrant workers, especially after witnessing the various pleas for help over living conditions.

Hopefully, the current outbreak in the dorms will make their operators and the public at large realise that despite their best efforts, much more can be done to prevent something like this from happening ever again.

Featured image adapted from S11 Capital and Google Maps.