SINGAPORE: All dormitories have been declared cleared of COVID-19 as of Wednesday (Aug 19), including the standalone blocks in purpose-built dormitories serving as isolation or quarantine facilities.
All residents in the standalone blocks have either completed their isolation or quarantine, or been moved to other government facilities depending on their health status, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a press release.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAbout 86 per cent of foreign workers in the construction, marine and process sectors have been allowed to resume work, up from the 81 per cent announced last week.
These are workers who have received the Green AccessCode indicating that they are allowed to return to their jobs.
[h=3]READ: From manhole to sampling bottle: How wastewater helps indicate presence of COVID-19 in foreign worker dormitories [/h]“We expect the recently cleared dormitories to soon complete all the necessary preparations, with an additional 20,000 residents expected to have Green AccessCode," said MOM.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"Half of these residents currently have Red AccessCode as their addresses are not updated. Reminders will be sent to dormitory operators and employers to update workers’ addresses accordingly."
(Image: Ministry of Manpower)
Moving forward, MOM said it expects that there will always be a proportion of workers who have a Red AccessCode. This is due to several reasons such as a worker recently testing positive for COVID-19 and is still undergoing treatment, or if the worker is a close contact of a positive case and placed under quarantine.
Workers may also have a Red AccessCode if they are placed on precautionary quarantine while authorities establish their exposure to a positive case, if they no longer have the TraceTogether app installed on their mobile device, or if they are required to undergo rostered routine testing (RRT) but did not do so.
[h=3]READ: COVID-19: New migrant worker dorms step in the right direction, say support groups - but could more be done?[/h]“These occurrences are part of the overall system of ensuring compliance with RRT, and that any cases detected are contained, with contacts traced and the block or level of the dormitory isolated,” said MOM.
With the completion of the dormitory-clearance process, MOM said it has adopted a “multilayered strategy” to prevent a second wave of infections in the cleared dormitories.
This includes preventing infections by grouping migrant workers in dormitories according to the type of industries they work in, and implementing safe distancing measures.
Once a new case is detected, contact tracing efforts will begin.
MOM said sector agencies will work closely with employers to assess the risk at workplaces and put in place safety timeouts if necessary. Aggressive testing operations will also be conducted to arrest a possible second wave of infection.
After immediate close contacts of the positive migrant workers have been identified, they will undergo a 14-day quarantine at a dedicated facility.
[h=3]READ: More wastewater testing under way in Singapore to tackle COVID-19; pilot launched at foreign worker dormitories[/h]Other close contacts will be quarantined on-site to undergo tests to ensure that they are cleared of COVID-19 before they are able to return to work.
MOM said the new infection cases in cleared dormitories and decant sites are a reminder of the need to be vigilant.
“As we gather more real-life data, we will be better able to assess the impact of safe distancing measures and segregation measures. This will help us assess patterns in the spread of infections, and review the extent of quarantine required to contain a detected case.”
The ministry added that its priority will be to prevent and arrest new infections through early detection, timely containment and effective isolation.
[h=3]BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments[/h]Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the COVID-19 outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
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All residents in the standalone blocks have either completed their isolation or quarantine, or been moved to other government facilities depending on their health status, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a press release.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAbout 86 per cent of foreign workers in the construction, marine and process sectors have been allowed to resume work, up from the 81 per cent announced last week.
These are workers who have received the Green AccessCode indicating that they are allowed to return to their jobs.
[h=3]READ: From manhole to sampling bottle: How wastewater helps indicate presence of COVID-19 in foreign worker dormitories [/h]“We expect the recently cleared dormitories to soon complete all the necessary preparations, with an additional 20,000 residents expected to have Green AccessCode," said MOM.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"Half of these residents currently have Red AccessCode as their addresses are not updated. Reminders will be sent to dormitory operators and employers to update workers’ addresses accordingly."
Moving forward, MOM said it expects that there will always be a proportion of workers who have a Red AccessCode. This is due to several reasons such as a worker recently testing positive for COVID-19 and is still undergoing treatment, or if the worker is a close contact of a positive case and placed under quarantine.
Workers may also have a Red AccessCode if they are placed on precautionary quarantine while authorities establish their exposure to a positive case, if they no longer have the TraceTogether app installed on their mobile device, or if they are required to undergo rostered routine testing (RRT) but did not do so.
[h=3]READ: COVID-19: New migrant worker dorms step in the right direction, say support groups - but could more be done?[/h]“These occurrences are part of the overall system of ensuring compliance with RRT, and that any cases detected are contained, with contacts traced and the block or level of the dormitory isolated,” said MOM.
With the completion of the dormitory-clearance process, MOM said it has adopted a “multilayered strategy” to prevent a second wave of infections in the cleared dormitories.
This includes preventing infections by grouping migrant workers in dormitories according to the type of industries they work in, and implementing safe distancing measures.
Once a new case is detected, contact tracing efforts will begin.
MOM said sector agencies will work closely with employers to assess the risk at workplaces and put in place safety timeouts if necessary. Aggressive testing operations will also be conducted to arrest a possible second wave of infection.
After immediate close contacts of the positive migrant workers have been identified, they will undergo a 14-day quarantine at a dedicated facility.
[h=3]READ: More wastewater testing under way in Singapore to tackle COVID-19; pilot launched at foreign worker dormitories[/h]Other close contacts will be quarantined on-site to undergo tests to ensure that they are cleared of COVID-19 before they are able to return to work.
MOM said the new infection cases in cleared dormitories and decant sites are a reminder of the need to be vigilant.
“As we gather more real-life data, we will be better able to assess the impact of safe distancing measures and segregation measures. This will help us assess patterns in the spread of infections, and review the extent of quarantine required to contain a detected case.”
The ministry added that its priority will be to prevent and arrest new infections through early detection, timely containment and effective isolation.
[h=3]BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments[/h]Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the COVID-19 outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...