Singapore officials have told about 20,000 foreign workers to stay within their dormitories for the next 14 day as cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus increases in the nation. Two dormitories have been isolated: The S11 Dormitory at Punggol with 13,000 workers and 63 cases of infection, and the Westlite Toh Guan Dormitory with 6,800 workers and 28 cases of infection. Workers are temporarily banned from leaving their blocks and have been encouraged to stay away from people who did not live in their room or floor to minimize chances of spreading the coronavirus.
Workers will continue to receive their salaries for the duration of the quarantine, and be given three meals a day. Employers are entitled to claim $100 Singapore dollars (The equivalent of about 66 United States dollars) a day to cover wages, meals, hand sanitize, and other basic hygienic goods. However, some workers have complained of overcrowding and dirty conditions, along with long queues for food. On-site medical teams will also be deployed to monitor health conditions of the workers.
As of now, Singapore has recorded over 1,300 confirmed cases of the virus, and has reported 6 Covid-19 related deaths.
Note: The photograph of the symbolic Merlion was retrieved from the Public Domain, and does not require attribution, even for commercial purposes.
