All Migrant Workers Staying in Dormitories Will be on ‘Lockdown’ As Essential Workers Are Now Housed Elsewhere

It’s not just Singaporeans who are going through a tough time now. Our fellow migrant workers, too, are feeling the heat (literally) from tighter restrictions.

Previously, the Ministry of Manpower has been hard at work transferring healthy migrant workers in essential services out of the dormitories.

They are housed in temporary dormitories set up in HDB flats and army camps.

On 21 Apr 2020, Ms Josephine Teo, the manpower minister, says that the move has been completed.

“We have completed the pullout of the essential workers … and so we will now require all the workers staying in all the dormitories to stop going to work.”

She assures that this has been part of the plan all along and say that about 10,000 migrant workers have been successfully transferred elsewhere.

And now, they will proceed onto phase two of the plan:

All Migrant Workers Staying in Dormitories Will be on ‘Lockdown’

It’s not just bubble tea stores that have to stop operations.

All migrant workers within the dormitories are not allowed to leave for work anymore until further notice.

This includes workers who were previously working for companies that managed to get an exemption from the government.

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They were “potential channels for infection” as they enter and leave the dormitories, and so must be removed.

But this doesn’t mean that employers can sit back and relax.

They’re required to look after their workers even though they’re no longer working.

“Employers must continue to work with the dormitory operators to ensure the well-being of the workers in the dormitories, including taking care of their food and other daily needs.”

S-Pass Holders & Work Permit Holders Living Outside Dormitories Placed On SHN

And it’s not just the workers in the dormitories.

Ms Teo said that common construction sites seem to be one of the main contributors of the spike in Covid-19 cases in Singapore.

“We decided to do this because contract tracing efforts suggest that the transmissions at common construction worksites may have contributed to the increase in the number of affected workers.”

Other than stopping workers from going to work, about 180,000 S Pass and Work Permit holders not staying in dormitories, as well as their dependents, who work in the construction industry are placed on Stay-Home Notices.

Their SHN starts from 20 Apr 2020 and will end on 4 May 2020.

On 21 Apr 2020, PM Lee took to the podium to address the nation.

Other than talking about the CB extension, he also made it a special point to tell our fellow migrant workers that they are a part of Singapore.

“We will take care of you.”

Aww.