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SINGAPORE: All foreign worker dormitory residents who test negative for COVID-19 will be able to visit recreation centers on their days off starting Saturday (October 31), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Wednesday.
They must also come from a bedroom that does not have active COVID-19 cases.
This comes after more than two months of testing in which some 30,000 workers from some 300 bedrooms were allowed to visit recreation centers on their days off.
Eight recreation centers in Singapore will open at the end of the week and workers will choose one of five three-hour slots from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
At these centers, they can buy food, send money, get a haircut, and dine with their friends. Safe distancing officers will be on the ground to make sure workers are complying with COVID-19 safety measures.
READ: Rapid antigen tests put to the test for faster detection of COVID-19 among migrant workers
Until now, workers have only been allowed out of their bedrooms to work and run errands.
To visit the recreation center assigned to their dorm, they will need to request an exit pass through the SGWorkPass mobile app and can do so seven days in advance.
Workers can buy food at the recreation center. There is a clothing store, a hardware store and two supermarkets, one for Indians and the other for Bangladeshis. (Photo: Rachel Phua)
As part of the security measures, workers, who currently have their days off staggered throughout the week, must reserve slots in advance on the SGWorkPass mobile app to avoid overcrowding in these centers.
“The number of exit passes issued for each time slot will be controlled through the application system,” MOM said.
Dorm operators and recreation center staff will verify that workers have valid exit passes before they are allowed in or out.
In addition to taking company buses to the locations, those who live in the vicinity can also walk or bike there.
Workers can buy beer and other food at the center. (Photo: Rachel Phua)
JTC Corporation (JTC), which runs five of the eight recreation centers, used to receive between 3,000 and 4,000 workers a day before the pandemic, said the agency’s deputy director of the housing and community division, S Darison Kumar.
Darison, who runs the Tuas South Recreation Center, said JTC will limit each session’s capacity to an average of 300 workers.
IMPROVEMENTS IN TIMES
Several improvements were made following feedback from workers during the trial period, said MOM’s director of occupational safety and health, Christopher Koh.
Workers must measure their temperature and register before entering the recreation center. (Photo: Rachel Phua)
The ministry will add an additional schedule from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. to serve workers who work overtime on their days off, as some of them cannot reach the current latest schedule of 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
MOM will also extend the time workers can spend at the centers to three hours, after some workers said the original two-hour allowance is too short, especially after taking into account the time they spend on their commute.
THE VISITS HELP “REFRESH OUR MIND”
While he is happy to have additional hours in the evening, Indian citizen Mulasapu Raju said he hopes that workers can visit the centers at least twice a week, or that they can be given more time for each session.
“Three hours is too rushed,” said Mr. Raju, who lives at SCM Tuas Lodge and works for Sembcorp Marine.
The 29-year-old, who has worked in Singapore for seven years, said the first time he was allowed to return to the recreation center was “really exciting.” Before the pandemic, he used to spend four to five hours with his friends downtown.
Last week, he was unable to reserve a space on his day off and this time, he made sure to reserve early in the morning. This was his second time at the center after the COVID-19 restrictions were implemented.
When asked what would happen if workers sneak out instead of visiting the center during their session, Koh from the Labor Ministry said that while there are no punitive measures in place at this time, they will emphasize the importance of safety for workers.
“We give them some advice and educate them (and tell them)” for now, for your own safety, you should go to the recreation center for now, “he said, adding that those cases are” the minority “at this time.
Workers can buy SIM cards and mobile phones at this telecommunications store. (Photo: Rachel Phua)
Sonjon Kumar Dey, a Bangladeshi citizen, is also happy to finally get out of his bedroom on his days off.
The 36-year-old, who also works for Sembcorp Marine and stays at SCM Tuas Lodge, said the visits help him and the other workers to “refresh our minds.”
Mr. Sonjon was confined to his bedroom in March of this year and only returned to work in September. He described the confinement as “tough” and “difficult.”
While this was her second visit, she said she would only ask to stop by the center when she needs to buy food.
“Give someone else the chance.”
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