There was only one confirmed case among the community – an Indonesian undocumented worker announced in February as the island’s 2nd case. Since then, there have been no new reports of infection among migrant workers.

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Taiwan’s migrant worker living conditions vary among job categories. A boarding house for factory workers typically has four to eight people in one room, but in some cases, more than 30.

Domestic workers are required to live with employer families. They are not allowed to live outside on their own. Many carers share the same room with the patients they care for, and seldom have their own room. For fishermen, they live on the boats boarded at the ports, also in crowded spaces.

Febry Setiawan, 30, is a plywood factory worker from Bandar Lampung Province, Indonesia. He arrived in Taipei about three years ago. Setiawan’s dormitory is located within the factory complex. Because the factory has only eight foreign workers, he gets a small room to himself. Five of his colleagues share a bigger room.

“Our salaries are cut by NT$2,000-3,000 (US$67-100) for monthly rent,” Setiawan said. “And the rent does not include water and electricity, which could be around NT$500 per month.”

Migrant workers typically earn the minimum wage of NT$23,800, before deductions for placement fees, service fees for brokers, labour and health insurance, as well as tax.

Setiawan said his employer still allowed him to go outside, provided he practised safe distancing. He said he bought his own masks and hand sanitiser.

He is one of the lucky ones. Wu Jing Ru, a researcher at Taiwan International Workers Association (TIWA), said many of Taiwan’s factory workers were packed in “container houses”. “It’s very hot in summer, cold in winter and there is no tap water. They have to carry water by themselves,” Wu said.

The issue with the dormitory situation was not just about the virus, Wu said. In most cases, dormitories inside storage houses are dangerous because of the proximity to factory materials that catch fire easily. In recent years, 11 workers have died in such incidents.

“So, in general, dorms are not really safe unless the company is big enough and [can afford to] provide dorms separated from their storage building,” Wu said.

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Taiwan’s early community efforts have helped to prevent a large-scale outbreak. For example, everyone in Taiwan is able to buy rationed masks. All foreign nationals who hold Taiwan’s Alien Resident Card (ARC) can make their orders online and collect the masks at any chemist.

However, Huang still doubts the government’s readiness to protect migrant workers in the event of an outbreak. Taiwan’s Health Minister Chen Shih-chung has said a community infection would be “inevitable” in the long term.

Although Taiwan had managed to keep its confirmed coronavirus cases at under 500 and maintained daily life on the island close to normal, the personal freedoms of migrant workers had been affected, Huang said.

Domestic workers were now under the tighter grip of their employers. Many were confined in their employers’ homes for months because they were prohibited from taking days off, even as their bosses continued to go out to work as usual, she said.

“It’s no more than discrimination,” Huang said.

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Hesty Marettasari, 27, a carer from Indonesia, said her employer often kicked and scratched her. She is also sleep-deprived from caring for her patient. Since the pandemic broke out, she has had to “fight” with her employer to have one day off a week and go outside.

“I have to really insist on it,” Marettasari said.

Taiwan’s government has stepped up measures to curb a second wave of coronavirus infections from citizens and foreign residents returning to the island, as cases escalate around the globe. Returning migrant workers are required to complete a 14-day quarantine in government-prepared facilities. They will be paid NT$1,000 by the government for each day of quarantine.

Meanwhile, workers who decided to return to their hometowns after March 17 would not be allowed to re-enter Taiwan, the government said. ■