Asia/South Asia
3 years ago

Singapore quarantines over 1,100 migrant workers after virus cases found in dormitory

Personnel in protective garment usher a group of migrant workers to take a bus to a government quarantine facility after workers were tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at Westlite Woodlands dormitory in Singapore on April 22, 2021 — Reuters photo
Personnel in protective garment usher a group of migrant workers to take a bus to a government quarantine facility after workers were tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at Westlite Woodlands dormitory in Singapore on April 22, 2021 — Reuters photo

Published :

Updated :

Singapore is quarantining more than 1,100 migrant workers after about a dozen Covid-19 cases were found in a dormitory and was investigating the possibility of re-infections among those who had recovered from the virus.

More than 1,100 workers from the dormitory will be quarantined at government facilities for 14 days, the dormitory operator said in a letter to clients circulated on social media.

Centurion Corp, which owns the Westlite Woodlands dormitory, confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

Authorities conducted Covid-19 tests on residents of the dormitory after one worker was found positive on Tuesday during routine testing.

The worker had received a second vaccination dose a week earlier and his roommate also tested positive.

To date, at least 10 recovered workers have tested positive for Covid-19.

"These cases were immediately isolated and conveyed to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) to investigate for possible re-infection," the manpower ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

A Reuters journalist saw about 10 buses lined up near the dormitory compound on Thursday, taking dozens of men out of the complex.

The bulk of Singapore's more than 60,000 Covid-19 cases occurred in dormitories that house tens of thousands of mainly South Asian low-wage workers, triggering lockdowns of the premises last year.

Singapore has largely brought the virus under control locally and has also been rolling out vaccinations. It last reported more than 10 cases in a single day among dormitory residents in September, with barely any new infections over the last few months.

Share this news