Singapore Plans Overhaul of Worker Dorms After Virus Outbreak

(Bloomberg) --

Singapore, which has been coping with an outbreak of coronavirus infections among its foreign workers living in tightly spaced dormitories, plans to build additional facilities with better standards. They will not come cheap, and some will be located closer to residential areas in the tiny island nation, the government cautioned.

The country plans to create extra space to house around 60,000 workers by the end of this year, the ministries of national development and manpower said Monday in a joint statement. Longer term, there will also be new purpose-built dormitories to house up to 100,000 workers to replace the short to medium-term housing, they said.

“Given our land constraints, some dormitories will inevitably be located closer to residential areas,” the ministries said in the statement. “Singaporeans must therefore do our part too. We must reject the Not in My Backyard mindset and instead appreciate these workers who keep Singapore going.”

The new facilities may be developed on a different model compared to the present system, where currently land is released for the commercial operators to bid, build or operate, the statement said. The additional and improved housing arrangements will also come at a cost.

Authorities say specifications for the new facilities will look into their design, facilities, management and regulation, as well as factor in social interaction and disease-response needs. These improved standards that will be piloted at new quick build dormitories may include less than 10 beds per room, and at least one toilet, bathroom and sink to five beds, according to the government.

The announcement comes as Singapore on Tuesday enters the first of three phases to ease partial lockdown measures that have been in place since the beginning of April. With the end of the so-called “circuit breaker,” more businesses and schools will be allowed to open, while about a third of employees will be able to resume work on site.

Singapore Officials Lay Out Course to Reopen Ahead of Schedule

As of Monday at noon, the city-state confirmed 408 new Covid-19 infections, all of whom were among migrant workers living in often cramped dormitories. That brings the total figure up to over 35,000, more than 90% of which are among such workers.

Face Masks, Shields

Separately on Monday, authorities said masks would be required as a default for those going out, as Singapore moves into the first of its phased reopening. Previously during the partial lockdown, face shields had also been permitted along with masks.

“With the re-opening of our economy and society, we can expect more activities and close contact amongst people, including on public transport. So masks will now be required as the default,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement. “The design of face shields typically leaves a gap between the face shield and the face.”

There will be some exceptions to the must-have mask rule, allowing some groups to go on using face shields. These include children twelve years and below; people who have breathing or other medical difficulties when using a mask; and those speaking to a group in a classroom or lecture-style setting.

Singapore, with a population of just 5.7 million, has the highest number of reported cases in Southeast Asia followed by Indonesia, which as of Monday had nearly 27,000 confirmed infections.