SINGAPORE – Covid-19 cases in migrant worker dormitories had been close to zero for months and plans were in place for rules to be relaxed, but a recent flare-up at Westlite Woodlands has thrown a spanner in the works.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday (April 22), Second Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said there were plans for some easing of restrictions for migrant workers and dormitories.

“But given the fact that today we have got new variants of concern, and I think you can see that we have also got this new number of cases that have come up, we’ve decided to put it on hold for a while,” he said.

“We hope that you can help us to garner support and also patience from the migrant workers, from the employers towards our measures, and we will do everything possible in a very careful, measured and calibrated way once the numbers are down again.”

Dr Tan was asked how the emergence of new variants of Covid-19 and the phenomenon of reinfections would affect measures related to dormitories and migrant workers.

He did not elaborate on the easing of rules.

A pilot scheme for workers to return to the community once a month – announced last December – was planned to start in the first quarter of this year, but it has yet to begin.

Meanwhile, 19 workers at Westlite Woodlands were found to have Covid-19 as at Thursday.

Among them were 17 who had previously recovered from the disease.

Investigations are under way to find out whether these are reinfections or persistent shedding of the virus from earlier infection.

The past year has been circumscribed by rules designed to stamp out Covid-19 infections in dormitories and prevent clusters from spilling out into the wider community.

These include limits on mixing at workplaces and in living quarters, as well as regulations on visits to recreation centres.

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Last April, the number of new cases in migrant worker dormitories began spiking, hitting a record daily high of 1,397 on April 20. Movement curbs were introduced.

Persistent efforts from the authorities, dormitory operators, advocacy groups and volunteers – as well as the cooperation of workers themselves – have led to a stemming of the outbreak. Since late last year, there had been zero daily cases on most days.

The Straits Times’ Insight takes a look at how the pandemic has affected migrant workers’ living and working conditions, as well as the ways they spend their free time.

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