Video of Migrant Workers Crowding to Get Food is Real; Managing Agent Has Responded

This morning, this video went viral:

Needless to say, you’d know the reason why it got viral if you’ve watched it: while there doesn’t seem to be any immediate health threat since all of them are possibly COVID-19 positive and therefore can’t spread the virus to anyone else, it seems like it gets a tad out of control, as people were shouting throughout and a loud whistle can be heard in the background, as if to get everything in order.

It doesn’t help that in certain versions of the video, it’s alleged that an ex-nurse filmed the footage, and even accused the poor workers of purposely “not wanting to get well” because of the comfortable stay, free food, free wifi and free medical care.

That, of course, is not true.

But the video is real, and it took place in Changi Exhibition Centre last week on 10 May 2020.

And the people managing the centre has responded.

“Now Stable”

Did you know that the community care facility at the Changi Exhibition Centre is managed by a commercial party?

Neither did I.

The facility is managed by Mandarin Oriental Singapore, which has a 5-star hotel in Marina Centre. Its parent company, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, has a parent company, too: Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited.

And fun fact: Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited also owns Dairy Farm, which owns supermarkets like Giant and Cold Storage.

In other words, it’s a bigly company lah.

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Mandarin Oriental Singapore has been managing the facility which houses more than 2,600 migrant workers who have been tested positive with COVID-19 and are recovering.

A spokesperson has responded to TODAYonline’s enquiries, and they admitted that it did take place in that facility on 10 May 2020.

It turned out that it’s not a distribution of meals but afternoon snacks.

Must be some nice snacks.

Queues were allegedly “orderly” except for this section that comprises 300 workers.

They have since worked with the workers and informed them about the need for orderly queues, and now have measures to improve the system, such as staggered meal timings to reduce the crowd, and putting in more personnel and volunteers to assist with meal distribution and crowd management.

The spokesperson said, “The situation has improved significantly and is generally stable.”

And regarding the risk factor, the spokesperson added, “We can understand the concern that some have expressed about the occupants coming into close proximity with each other. As they are all Covid-19-positive, they do not pose risks to one another.”

The concern people have is that this looks just like how the migrant workers were treated before the COVID-19 crisis; and I thought the crisis is a wake-up call to treat these people who build our HDB more humanely?

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