About 100 migrant workers have tested positive for Covid-19 after their dorms were cleared: MOH, MOM
The Ministry and Health and Ministry of Manpower said about 100 Covid-19 cases have been detected so far in cleared migrant worker dormitories through routine coronavirus testing.
SINGAPORE — About 100 Covid-19 cases have been detected so far in cleared migrant worker dormitories through routine coronavirus testing, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Tuesday (Aug 18).
"The new infection cases in cleared dormitories and decant sites remind us on the need to be vigilant," the ministries said. Some of these workers who tested positive for the disease have already returned to work, they added.
These workers live in purpose-built dormitories, factory-converted dormitories and temporary living quarters.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, MOM and MOH said that the cases were identified through rostered routine testing. This is where employers of migrant workers in the construction, marine and process sectors as well as those living in dormitories must schedule their workers for biweekly coronavirus testing through an online system.
To date, seven in 10 employers have made use of the online system to schedule their workers for routine testing, said the authorities, and over 100,000 migrant workers have started on the fortnightly testing programme.
After discovering the 100 workers who tested positive for Covid-19, the authorities took “aggressive action to contain, trace and isolate the close contacts”, MOH and MOM said.
From this exercise, more than 60 per cent of the cases have been closed so far. Only a small number of additional cases were detected, they added.
At the same time, out of the 7,000 migrant workers who have been quarantined from these new infection cases, less than 2 per cent were later confirmed to test positive for the disease.
“These cases are being managed according to strict protocols and reinforced with more centralised quarantine facilities made available through the completion of dormitory clearance,” the ministries said.
The authorities reiterated that when a new Covid-19 case is detected within a cleared dormitory, steps are taken to promptly quarantine the entire block as a precautionary measure.
An aggressive swabbing regime is then carried out for all migrant workers in the block. Workers who are later deemed to not be at risk will have their quarantine orders rescinded.
“While this approach could affect up to a few hundred migrant workers for each case, it ensures that we contain and detect the case and minimise spreading that could end up affecting thousands others,” the ministries said.
There are now about 18,600 workers who are still serving out their quarantine period, the authorities said, including the latest batch of 800 workers who were newly quarantined after MOH discovered a Covid-19 case among them in a cleared dormitory.
The ministries said that the immediate close contacts of the infected worker have been conveyed to a dedicated quarantine facility.
The infected worker was living in a cleared purpose-built dormitory block, so the remaining residents will also undergo testing to ensure that they are free from infection.
“We have quarantined the whole block in the first instance while the assessment is being made as a precautionary measure,” they said.
“We will rescind the quarantine subsequently for workers who are assessed not to be at risk.”
