Amidst the recent surge of Covid-19 cases among foreign workers in Singapore, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has assured Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen that Bangladeshi workers in the country will have proper access to good healthcare and receive their salaries regularly.
The rapid increase in Covid-19 cases among foreign workers has shed light on their living conditions in Singapore.
A Foreign Ministry statement reported that Dr Balakrishnan and Mr Momen spoke on the phone recently to discuss the welfare of Bangladeshi workers in Singapore. Dr Balakrishnan assured Mr Momen that Bangladeshis would not be overlooked and conveyed Singapore’s staunch commitment to ensuring that they would be paid regularly and be given access to healthcare and treatment.
Of the 200,000 Bangladeshi foreign workers in Singapore, most of whom are in the construction industry, 244 have contracted Covid-19.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has placed them under quarantine, along with others who have been identified as suspected cases.
The statement also reported that four of the five Bangladeshis infected with the virus in the initial stage have recovered and that one Bangladeshi who was critically ill has shown signs of improvement.
Dr Balakrishnan also relayed to Mr Momen that Singapore has been giving free treatment and food to individuals infected by Covid-19, backing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s strong words of commitment that Singapore will do its “utmost” to take care of foreign workers in the county.
The Foreign Minister took to his Facebook page on Friday (April 10) to share PM Lee’s official statement on the matter, adding:
“Foreign workers have made invaluable contributions to Singapore in order to support their own families back home. PM Lee Hsien Loong commits that we will do our utmost to look after their well being,” wrote Dr Balakrishnan.
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