Centurion delays Toh Guan dormitory redevelopment in light of new Covid-19 cluster
Claudia Tan HS
Singapore
MAINBOARD-LISTED housing operator Centurion Corp will be holding off redevelopment plans for its workers' dormitory at Toh Guan after the site was declared a new Covid-19 cluster on Tuesday.
The reconstruction of an existing block at its Westlite Toh Guan facility into an eight-storey dormitory and industrial training centre was slated for April 2020.
But the chief executive of Centurion Kong Chee Min told The Business Times on Wednesday that the company will "delay implementation of the asset enhancement initiative (AEI) until the Covid-19 situation in Singapore normalises".
This comes as four of the 47 newly confirmed cases on Tuesday were linked to a previous case at Westlite Toh Guan dormitory, forming a new cluster there. On Wednesday, two additional cases were linked to the cluster, bringing the total to seven confirmed cases.
Against such a backdrop, Mr Kong said that Centurion is "cautiously selective in considering acquisitions or AEIs".
In view of the new infections, Centurion has since isolated all linked contacts living in the same residential unit as the affected residents, and conducted deep cleaning and disinfection across the common areas of the compound.
In addition, stronger cleaning protocols have been put in place and efforts to educate residents to practise safe distancing and personal hygiene have been stepped up.
The firm is also working with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to enforce safe distancing measures and restriction of movement for the residents at Westlite Toh Guan. This requires residents to stay within their apartments, other than commuting to and from work and attending to essential activities such as purchasing meals.
"To manage the process effectively, we will close the gates of our compound at 9pm each day and limit the number of movements in and out of the dormitory," said Mr Kong.
While Centurion's other Westlite properties are unaffected by the Westlite Toh Guan cluster, precautionary measures have been implemented across all its dormitories, added Mr Kong. This includes restricting the interaction of residents across different blocks and the strict enforcement of safe distancing measures in common areas.
