Coronavirus: Singapore’s packed workers’ dorms pose new challenge in virus fight

Tens of thousands of foreign workers have been ordered to stay in their cramped shared rooms amid fears emerging infection clusters will spread

But the move to quarantine people living in such close proximity has raised questions about whether the conditions will allow for social distancing

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Foreign workers pictured inside one of the dormitories Singapore put under virus lockdown at the weekend. Photo: EPA

Published: 1:00pm, 9 Apr 2020Updated: 1:19pm, 9 Apr 2020

Tightly packed dormitories housing thousands of foreign workers have emerged as one of Singapore’s biggest challenges in its fight to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The city state reported a record 142 new infections on Wednesday, and at least 40 of those were linked to clusters at foreign worker dormitories, that house mainly low-wage workers in construction and other sectors. Those groups now account for 253 infections across nine facilities, more than 15 per cent of the country’s 1,623 cases, according to Ministry of Health data.

Authorities have moved swiftly to isolate the clusters. Two dormitories that together house almost 20,000 people were on Sunday designated by the Ministry of Manpower as “isolation areas” after new, linked virus cases emerged, while a third dormitory was gazetted the following day. Residents were ordered to stay in their shared rooms for two weeks, but would still receive wages as well as deliveries of food and other essentials.

“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.”

A foreign worker wearing a surgical mask collects food at one of the dormitories in Singapore that were locked down on Sunday. Photo: EPA

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.

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Coronavirus: Singapore’s packed workers’ dorms pose new challenge in virus fight

Tens of thousands of foreign workers have been ordered to stay in their cramped shared rooms amid fears emerging infection clusters will spread But the move to quarantine people living in such close proximity has raised questions about whether the conditions will allow for social distancing

Tens of thousands of foreign workers have been ordered to stay in their cramped shared rooms amid fears emerging infection clusters will spread

But the move to quarantine people living in such close proximity has raised questions about whether the conditions will allow for social distancing