“Ex-nurse” recalled to take care of foreign workers says they don’t want to get well

A video showing foreign workers at what appears to be a community isolation facility failing to observe safe distancing measures has been circulating on social media and WhatsApp Messenger.

The video, as shared on WhatsApp messenger, has a message from someone who claims to be the friend of a former nurse. The video was taken by the latter after she had been recalled to take care of workers at the facility.

The former nurse alleged that the workers are “disgustingly unhygienic” and that “all of them gather together in one room socialising and not in their own individual rooms, to be away from each other”.

It is suggested that “the whole idea is so they continue to be sick”. They don’t want to get well because if they get well it means the chances of them being sent home is very high as  companies cannot keep up with paying salaries and they are not working.

The unverified message alleges that “the migrant workers all suffer from all sorts of illnesses like diabetes to high blood pressure. They don’t even know they have these illnesses until they were checked during the virus test. So their food is designed by dietitians to accommodate to, not heighten, their underlying illnesses”.

On Facebook, however, the caption that accompanies the same video is as follows: “Forget about CB … Workers at Quarantine Center rushing for dinner… Apparently volunteers loss control of the crowd.”

Among the people who commented on the video were those who felt that the workers have been spoiled by the Government. Others criticised them for not taking care of themselves.

TISG has reached out to the Ministry of Manpower for comment and clarification. /TISG