“It is honestly a difficult situation,” said Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases doctor at Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital, who drew comparisons to cruise ships like the Diamond Princess, where about 700 of its roughly 3,700 passengers were infected with Covid-19. “This is going to be a big mess.”

For Singapore, which has been championed by health officials for its methodical virus response since the outbreak began, the move to quarantine potentially exposed workers living in close proximity has raised questions about whether the conditions will allow for social distancing – one of the key strategies utilised around the world to contain the outbreak’s spread.

“To try and sort this out, they need to remain in the rooms for weeks with no interactions,” Leong said, adding that Singapore would have to also navigate language barriers and cultural differences among the workers.

Singapore’s worker dorms a ‘perfect storm’ for rising coronavirus infections

Foreigners make up about 38 per cent of Singapore’s overall workforce, including foreign domestic workers, according to government figures through the end of last year. They have an outsize share in the construction industry, where three of every four workers are foreign, while foreigners account for about half of Singapore’s manufacturing workforce and 30 per cent in services.

“When people are in quarantine, physical distancing becomes even more challenging,” a WHO spokesman wrote by email. “In such conditions, it’s especially important to follow guidance on regular hand washing, respiratory etiquette and other practices to keep people healthy and prevent disease spread.”

Singapore is providing on-site support, including food and essential supplies while preventive measures are being put in place in the dormitories, the spokesman wrote.

The government has so far closed non-essential amenities such as gyms and libraries, prevented intermingling between blocks, and staggered meal and recreation times. It has also established basic health care facilities at two of the dormitories, while the authorities are seeking to whittle down the number of residents in affected blocks.

With 38 confirmed cases currently, the purpose-built workers accommodation Westlite Toh Guan was among the two facilities to be isolated in Singapore on Sunday. There, a total of 6,800 residents are spread across 687 apartment units with an average of eight to 10 occupants per room, according to emails with Centurion Corporation, which owns the buildings. The units include bathrooms, a kitchen, showers and dining space.

Like the other gazetted dormitories, residents there have received care packs consisting of masks, thermometers and hand sanitiser, and “after some initial hitches” meals are being delivered in a timely fashion, according to a government statement on Tuesday.

Ah Hlaing, a Burmese carer at a day care centre for the elderly who shares a flat at the dormitory with about 10 people, said after initially being upset over the new rules, she acknowledges they are necessary.

She was “upset because we can’t go out and have to stay in the room”, Ah said, adding she has had access to the essentials including food and sanitary products. “We have to accept now that at this time, we can’t do anything.”

Some rights groups have expressed concern the government is not doing enough.

“The key vulnerability, crowding, is not really being addressed with sufficient determination,” said Alex Wu, vice-president at Transient Workers Count Too, a registered charity that helps low-wage migrant workers. “Infectious diseases thrive through human proximity. In fact, requiring workers to stay in their rooms except for occasional periods will intensify contact, not reduce it.”