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The massive outbreak of coronavirus cases among migrant dormitory workers cannot be attributed only to poor living conditions, even if there are abysmal examples, Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin said yesterday.
Rather, the highly contagious nature of the coronavirus and the fact that dorms involve groups of people living indoors are more likely to have contributed to the spread, said Tan, who was Minister of Human Resources from 2012 to 2015.
On the sidelines of an event for migrant worker residences yesterday, Tan said it was important not to confuse the two problems of poor living conditions and the Covid-19 pandemic, which he called a health crisis of “monumental proportions.”
“For example, in our universities if the shelters remained open and the students were there, then a massive outbreak would also be expected. If people live indoors, given the contagious nature of this virus, outbreaks will occur.” he said.
Addressing questions about the outbreak in the dormitories, which affected more than 18,000 cases until yesterday, Tan said that these are not cases of “bleaching” of “abysmal” conditions, but that it should not be generalized that all the conditions of life are as such.
There were 741 new Covid-19 cases reported yesterday, totaling 20,939.
The living conditions of lower-paid foreign workers were recently highlighted when dormitories became large groups where the coronavirus has spread. The outbreak highlighted the tight and poorly maintained spaces of some of these workers, and their low-quality meals.
On Monday, Human Resources Minister Josephine Teo assured Parliament that the government will see how housing standards for migrant workers can be further raised.
“It does not excuse (the bad conditions), it is not acceptable and we must take strict measures against those who break the law, but it does not represent all the space and that is the context that is important,” said Tan.
“It is important to speak to migrant workers as a whole so that their living experience has an idea of the conditions. And given the scale and nature of this outbreak, we should not combine the causes with these imprecise generalizations.” additional.
When asked about raising bedroom standards here, Mr. Tan said there are things that can be improved and that the Government will take stock of the lessons learned and the adjustments that need to be made.
“It is something that we will work on, but in the meantime, let’s deal with (current) problems, take care of our people, and take care of all the people here in Singapore who are affected in different ways.”
During an online forum hosted by the Institute for Political Studies on Wednesday, analysts said that a society-wide effort is needed to improve wages and living conditions for foreign workers here.
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