SINGAPORE — In the “immediate period” of Phase Two of Singapore’s re-opening, migrant workers will have to continue staying within their dormitories on their rest days, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Thursday (June 18).

The MOM said in a statement that the workers will have to do so as there are now some 75,000 workers who have been cleared of the Covid-19 infection and will be progressively returning to work.

“With daily movements in and out of the dormitories, we need to be vigilant to make sure that the workers remain Covid-19 free,” the MOM said. 

“There will already be some risk that infections are brought from workplaces back to the cleared dormitories. Movements of the workers beyond the workplaces will pose additional risks of cross-infections with the general community, in both directions.”

When the infection rates in both the community and dormitories are sustained at lower levels for a longer period of time, workers in cleared dormitories and blocks will have the opportunity to leave the dormitories to run personal errands at approved locations such as the recreation centres, the MOM said.

In the meantime, workers will be able to access communal facilities within the dormitories, with safe distancing measures in place. Employers must also continue to ensure provision of food and daily necessities to their employees in dormitories.

The ministry had previously said that migrant workers living in dormitories that have been cleared of Covid-19 infections will be able to run errands outside their dormitories during Phase Two, but only when infection rates in the community and dormitories have been "sustained at low levels for a period of time".

The MOM had also said that the workers would have staggered rest days, and would be able to leave their dormitories at specific time slots of up to two hours each.