Covid-19: 20,000 foreign workers at two dormitories to serve 14-day quarantine order

CLOSE to 20,000 foreign workers are required to serve a 14-day quarantine order on the back of a growing number of Covid-19 infections at two dormitories, according to the multi-ministry task force at a press conference on Sunday. 

The S11 Dormitory @ Punggol and Westlite Toh Guan dormitory have emerged as clusters with an additional 22 and 10 new Covid-19 cases respectively on Sunday. This brings the total number of Covid-19 cases to at least 62 at S-11 and 28 cases at Westlite, as at Sunday evening. 

The two dormitories have been gazetted as "isolation areas", and foreign workers living there will have to stay in their existing rooms for the next 14 days, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo. 

The workers' period of absence will be treated as paid hospitalisation leave as part of the workers' statutory leave eligibility. 

"We will work with the employers to ensure that quarantined workers continue to be paid," said Ms Teo. 

Meals and essentials such as masks, thermometers, hand sanitisers will also be provided for all foreign workers under quarantine. The government will also make arrangements to facilitate remittances on site. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has deployed on-site medical support to support the workers residing at both dormitories.

Across other dormitories in Singapore, further safe distancing measures will be implemented. This includes providing separate housing for the "relatively small" number of essential services foreign workers. 

"We are actively converting more spaces and putting these essential services workers into these spaces that are suitable for this purpose," said Ms Teo. 

In addition, intermingling of residents between floors will also be reduced - a step up from the previous measure of cutting down contact of workers across blocks. 

The number of people in dormitories will also be reduced, and will be progressively done for all large dormitories. Workers who are unwell, even if they are not tested positive, will be relocated and housed in isolated sick bays to minimise the risk for others.