342 workers moved to quarantine facility after Covid-19 case in dorm

More than 300 workers living in the same block at a Tuas dormitory have been moved to a government quarantine facility as a precaution after a Covid-19 case was detected at the purpose-built dorm on Monday.

Safe living measures were not strictly enforced in the block at Space@Tuas, where the confirmed Covid-19 patient lived, so 342 others living at the block were deemed to be at risk, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said yesterday.

The residents - who work for 27 employers - will serve a mandatory 14-day quarantine at the government facility.

MOM said the new case was discovered through its rostered routine testing, where migrant workers in dorms are tested for the virus every 14 days.

The dorm at Space@Tuas is operated by TS Group and can house up to 1,300 workers.

A TS Group spokesman told The New Paper there are now about 540 workers in the dorm, excluding the 342 who were moved out to the quarantine facility. The safe living measures at the dorm are being reviewed.

He said: "TS Group is now working closely with relevant authorities to ensure workers adhere to the safe management measures in the dormitory."

MOM said stay home notices (SHNs) were initially issued to workers in two blocks at the dorm, as physical segregation measures to stop workers from intermixing appeared to have been breached.

But further investigation found this was unlikely, so the SHNs for the unaffected block were rescinded.

MOM yesterday urged dorm operators, employers and workers to work together to comply with strict safe living measures, so that only affected workers in the same level or section need to be quarantined if there is a Covid-19 case, rather than the whole block.

This is part of a more targeted and differentiated quarantine approach that MOM's Assurance, Care and Engagement Group has adopted for migrant worker dorms in order to minimise work disruption and make it more sustainable.

The safe living measures include tight control of movement in and out of dorms, use of barriers and marked-out routes so workers do not intermix, ensuring masks are worn and safe distancing is adhered to.

Dorm operators must ensure the measures remain effective, while workers must comply with the measures and remain within their respective residential zones, said MOM.

It added: "It is only with the collective efforts of all parties that our migrant workers can remain safe and healthy, and our businesses face minimal disruptions to their operations."