MOM to reject all new work pass applications for foreign workers from Hubei

Singapore

THE Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will reject all new work pass applications for foreign workers from Hubei until further notice, it said on Tuesday.

More than 30 new applications have been turned down so far. Renewal applications for existing work pass workers from Hubei will not be affected. MOM said: "Existing work pass holders from Hubei who are currently away or with recent Hubei travel history within the last 14 days should defer their return to Singapore." Employers are to ask these employees to defer their return until the situation stabilises.

Employees with valid work passes will be allowed to enter Singapore but will be quarantined at home or at other suitable facilities upon their return, MOM added. This comes as two new cases of the Wuhan virus have been confirmed in Singapore, taking the total tally to seven.

Meanwhile, new travel curbs have been put in place that will prevent entry into, or transit through, Singapore for visitors with a passport issued in Hubei or those who have travelled there in the last two weeks.

With three confirmed cases in the past twenty four hours, the trend of infection among Chinese nationals from Hubei in Singapore is accelerating, the Ministry of Health (MOH) highlighted, adding that it expects to see more confirmed cases from this group in Singapore. All seven confirmed cases so far are Chinese nationals from Hubei.

According to the MOH, there are about 2,000 travellers from Hubei province who have arrived in Singapore in the last two weeks, of whom about 1,000 are on short-term visas. Those deemed to be higher risk will be placed under quarantine.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that while the situation is developing rapidly, contingency plans have been activated, and all of Singapore's agencies are working together. He wrote: "Our hospitals and healthcare workers are well-prepared. We have been preparing for something like this ever since Sars (Severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2003."

PM Lee went on to add: "We have not had local transmission or community spread yet, but that can happen, and we must be prepared for it."

Calling for Singaporeans to remain calm, he also said that the government will continue to monitor the situation closely and do more if necessary. PM Lee urged against listening to - or spreading - rumours and untrue reports. He wrote: "Sharing news responsibly is an important way we can protect ourselves."

The Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs are also implementing measures to step up the protection of servicemen within the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Home Team, with non-essential travel to mainland China deferred. Precautionary measures based on MOM's guidelines will apply to those currently in service and returning to work after travelling to China.

Of the two latest confirmed cases in Singapore, one is a 56-year-old male Chinese national who arrived in Singapore with his family on Jan 19 and went to Changi General Hospital (CGH) on Jan 26 after developing symptoms the day prior. He had been staying with his family at their home at Pasir Ris Grove, and is presently warded in an isolation room at CGH.

The second is a 35-year-old male Chinese national who arrived here on Jan 23 with family and friends and was staying at the Marina Bay Sands. After developing symptoms on Jan 24, he went to Raffles Hospital on the same day. He is currently warded in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. Both men are in stable condition.

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