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SINGAPORE – The coronavirus pandemic may have slowed down the Deepavali festivities for migrant workers here, but the spirit of the festival was not lost on Saturday (November 14), as several organizations came together to distribute treats to workers in 144 dormitories. .
They also helped pre-record the religious prayers and greetings of the chief priests from various Hindu temples here, which were shared with migrant workers via social media.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit the shores of Singapore, migrant workers in dormitories were hit the hardest, with tens of thousands of people infected.
Many were quarantined or locked up in an effort to control the spread of the disease, and restrictions were placed on what they could do on their days off. Currently, they are still largely restricted to their workplaces and bedrooms, or places approved as recreation centers.
The president of the Migrant Workers Center (MWC), Yeo Guat Kwang, said on Saturday: “The last few months have been very challenging for our migrant brothers in the dormitories. They have cooperated with the measures implemented by the authorities and have generally taken all controls in the right spirit … (It is) appropriate during this festive period to recognize and praise the contributions of some of the true heroes of this pandemic: the workers themselves. “
More than 1,000 volunteers participated in the initiative organized by the Assurance, Care and Engagement Group (Ace) of the Ministry of Manpower, the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) and the Coordinating Council of Sikh Institutions (CCSI).
On November 12-14, workers received gift packages containing sweet and savory treats such as murukku and laddu, which were contributed by the three organizers, various Hindu temples, Sikh Gurdwaras and NPS International School.
Ace Group worked with organizations such as Crisis Relief Alliance, Hope Initiative Alliance, Covid-19 Migrant Support Coalition, Covenant Evangelical Free Church, and Itsrainingraincoats to distribute the treats to workers.
Ace Group Chief Tung Yui Fai said: “We are encouraged to see many step forward to celebrate the occasion with our migrant workers. We look forward to more such collaborations in the future.”
On Saturday morning, the Minister of Human Resources, Josephine Teo, and the Second Minister of Human Resources, Tan See Leng, visited the workers in a renovated dormitory in a factory in Sungei Kadut, where 580 gift bags were distributed.
Each of these packets also contained a special thank you card, made by children from Sarada Kindergarten and various PCF kindergartens.
Prabaharan, an Indian citizen, who has only one name, said that in previous years, he would mark Deepavali by going to the temple to pray and then enjoying a meal with friends.
The 33-year-old lead project coordinator said he was sad to not be able to go on his regular temple visit this year. But he added: “I and my company (are) … very proud that the minister has come out to celebrate (with us).”
Another worker, operations and security supervisor Vijay, 29, who also has a name, said he understood that the current circumstances of the pandemic are “difficult” and that his company was trying to take care of him by making different arrangements to adapt. to the situation.
“Every time we are together here we will have a party, but this year (they provide us) some briyani for makan (to eat) in each room,” he said.
Speaking at the event, Ms Teo said: “Deepavali is always a celebration of the triumph of light over darkness and symbolically also marks a very important milestone in our journey in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.”
He noted that much progress has been made in fighting the virus among migrant workers, with measures such as routine roster testing and better contact tracing.
“We got to this point only because everyone was willing to work together, including the dormitory operators and many of the employers,” he said.
Ms Teo added: “We want to thank the many migrant brothers very much; we know that many of them have weathered many storms during this trip, and without their support we really could not have gotten that far.”
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