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Singapore ― In response to the delay in transferring Covid-19 cases from Westlite Jalan Tukang dormitory to care or recovery facilities, members of the public wondered why the foreign workers weren’t vaccinated.

Officers from the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Forward Assurance and Support Teams (FAST) were deployed to the dormitory on Wednesday (Oct 13), following claims from an online article published on Weixin regarding breaches of Covid-19 health protocols, poor quality of catered food and lack of access to medical assistance for the workers.

Videos of the alleged unrest among workers and the riot police deployed in the area also circulated on social media, such as on Facebook page ROADS.sg.

“Looks like there was a situation of unhappiness inside the Tukang Dormitory. That is why the police were on stand-by in full force,” the post noted.

Photo: FB screengrab/ROADS.sg

In another post, ROADS.sg wrote, “Looks serious but with little or no detail on why so many Special Operations Command Troop Tactical Vehicles (TTV) and Police Force Tenix S600 Armoured Personnel Carriers were deployed outside Tukang Dormitory.”

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Photo: FB screengrab/ROADS.sg

MOM has since clarified that it deployed “insufficient resources” for an “unexpected” increase in Covid-19 cases at the dormitory, which led to delays in transferring the workers to care or recovery facilities.

“Our preliminary investigations show that the initial delays in (conveying) workers from the dormitory to the appropriate care or recovery facility were because we had deployed insufficient resources to convey an unexpected increase in the number of workers being tested positive,” said Chief of MOM’s Assurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) Group Tung Yui Fai.

“This was due to a mandatory routine mass testing exercise by an employer on their workforce residing at the dormitory,” he added in a Channel News Asia report.

As of Thursday (Oct 14), the backlog of residents has been conveyed to care or recovery facilities, said Mr Tung.

The employer has also reminded its caterer to adhere to food hygiene standards strictly.

Mr Tung noted that the employer is coordinating with the caterer to offer more meal variety for different food preferences.

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It was reported that a majority of the migrant workers at the dormitory were not vaccinated against Covid-19.

“Many of them have arrived in Singapore not too many months ago and are worried about infection as Singapore is transiting to ‘living with COVID’. Hence, it is important to explain to them how we are doing this,” said Mr Tung.

“We are working with the employer to encourage them to be vaccinated either with our national vaccines for the best protection, but if they wish, with a vaccine that they accept.”

In response to the news, netizens wondered why the workers didn’t need to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

“Shouldn’t it be mandatory for them to be vaccinated since living in the dormitories? This should be a pre-requisite term for them to be able to work here and not a choice; otherwise, if they fall seriously ill, it will become a big burden to our health system,” commented Facebook user Leo Leong.

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“Interesting to note that the workers have already arrived for months and no one arranged for them to be vaccinated, knowing the risks involved for the unvaccinated. The worse add-ons are the living condition and their food,” added Facebook user Cayden Chang. /TISG

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ByHana O