SINGAPORE: All work permit holders and S Pass holders in the construction sector will be placed on mandatory stay-home notices, announced the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in a media release on Saturday (Apr 18).
This will take effect on Apr 20 and end on May 4, as a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19 in Singapore.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe authorities noted that while the recent rise in number of foreign workers infected with the coronavirus has mostly been concentrated in dormitories, there have been cases at construction worksites.
"Contact tracing suggests that transmissions at common construction worksites may have contributed to the increase in numbers. Thus far, the cases detected among workers living outside the dormitories have been low. All those infected and their close contacts have been isolated," said MOM and BCA.
Employers may seek exemption from BCA for their workers to carry out essential services such as vector control.
Otherwise, the stay-home notices apply to workers and their dependents in any place of accommodation.
AdvertisementAdvertisementIt excludes those staying in dormitories gazetted as isolation areas, as well as those in dormitories as defined in the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act 2015, as special arrangements have already been made for residents in such dormitories.
Employers whose workers are affected by the latest stay-home notice are required to make arrangements for them such as providing food and ensuring that each employee and their dependants has a local mobile phone number registered with MOM.
"MOM is implementing this requirement on all workers in the construction sector as the highest number of infected cases have come from this sector and worksite transmissions have been a contributing factor," MOM and BCA said.
"The stay-home notices will help prevent further transmission of the virus between workers in the sector, across all housing types."
The authorities also advised workers who feel unwell to immediately consult a doctor.
MOM said enforcement officers will conduct regular checks on workers to ensure compliance to the stay-at-home requirements.
Employers are advised to ensure that the addresses and mobile numbers registered with the ministry are up to date.
They are also required to check and report to the BCA daily on their employees' health during the notice period.
The ministry will "take strict enforcement measures against errant employers or employees who do not comply with the SHN requirements, including the suspension of work pass privileges and revocation of work passes", it said.
Singapore has reported 5,992 cases of COVID-19 infection, most of which are linked to outbreaks at foreign worker dormitories.
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