4/11/2020

Covid19 - New solutions needed to lower the fear of foreign workers

Migrant workers in Singapore are living in fear following a surge of coronavirus infections in their dormitories where they say cramped and filthy conditions make social distancing impossible....

One worker from Bangladesh, who lives in a dorm where there are several known infections but has not yet been locked down, told AFP social distancing to halt the spread of the virus was not possible.
“One small room with 12 people living together… how can we make social distance?” the labourer said in English, on the condition of anonymity.

He said hygiene standards were poor and workers were forced to use a communal cooking area and bathroom....

‘Recipe for disaster’ -There are about 280,000 migrant construction workers in Singapore who mostly live in self-contained dorms, with shops and other facilities on-site. They are often located in less desirable parts of the city, meaning they mix little with Singaporeans....

Writing on Facebook, veteran Singapore diplomat Tommy Koh said it should be a “wake-up call to treat our indispensable foreign workers like a first world country should, and not in the disgraceful way in which they are treated now”....


The above are extracts from an article about the fears of foreign workers written by Sam Reeves / Catherine Lai and posted in theindependent.sg

From the above comments it is clear that many things have to be done to improve the conditions of the foreign workers working in Singapore. The location and size of the rooms in the dormitories need to change. Locate them nearer to the city or more desirable parts of Singapore where Singaporeans lived so that they don't feel being isolated, distanced, not wanted, rejected. They need love and acceptance and want to live among the Singaporeans, like Singaporeans. The 12 persons to a room must go. They should live like Singaporeans, 2 to a room max. They are in first world Singapore and should be treated like first world people, living like first world people in healthy and decent living quarters. How can they be made to live like the Sin kehs in the early 1900s?

The vacated flats due for demolition under SERS would come in very handy to give a new life to the migrant workers. 280,000, using a 3rm flat for computation, with 4 in a flat, only 70,000 flats would be needed. This should not pose a problem to HDB. They can always build more if not enough. It would be a boost to the construction industry. Then we would have happy first world workers from third world countries living with first world Singaporeans... and a happy ending as they live happily together forever. And the risk of virus infection would also be lower.

Seriously, is this the solution? What if the foreign workers go up to 500,000 or a million or more with the growing population to sell more flats and to consume more of everything, including essential services policies to push for GDP growth, there may be a need to build a few new towns for foreign workers for them to live like Singaporeans and enjoy the Singaporean standard of living.

What do you think?

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

How much does it cost to test 280,000 foreign workers?

How much does it cost to monitor and test those positive in the isolation centres for two weeks?

Virgo 49 said...

Aiyo, just for the sake that we must have 10 millions to keep buying the HDB and private properties.

Just to fill up all the trains and buses everyday like sardines and monies kept churning in.

Only Internal Economy. Internal consumption for the GDP.

Sustainable? M.O.T- one disaster strikes KAPUT!

Now kept blaming Sinkies for the upward trend of not following the restrictions.

How many percent been inflected by the Dorms? ??

Now wayang, we must take care of these workers who built all these for us?

Boh kor gia kor lai chak!

Creating problems for one selves!

Small POP with innovative enconmy cannot survive meh?

Technologies don't need a big POP sweat shops economy.

Certain countries with already big POP no choice but to have manufacturing sweat shops for their masses to be gainfully employed.

Small POP. Agile and nimble. Able to have enough resources and rooms to manoeuvre and survive.

Covering ups all their blunders.

Anonymous said...

Saw a CNA documentary on how to create a sustainable economy with self sufficiency and less wastage. The irony is that this GDP growth policy based on population growth and excessive and unsustainable consumption of everything that Singapore does not produce, does not have, is a sure recipe for destruction. It is grossly unsustainable in every word.

The one trick pony only knows how to build and build flats for sale, everyday furiously reclaiming land or destroying good buildings just to build more flats to be stuffed with more people. What a stupid economic policy that only idiots can think of and demanding to be paid in the millions.

What do you think, paying millions to idiots.

Anonymous said...

@ 8.30am

Yes. Correct.

Puki Ma (PM) Lee !!!
Where is the money going to come from?

Anonymous said...

/// Writing on Facebook, veteran Singapore diplomat Tommy Koh said it should be a “wake-up call to treat our indispensable foreign workers like a first world country should, and not in the disgraceful way in which they are treated now”....///

Better be careful.

Singaporeans will have to pay more taxes so that PAP can build better dormitories for the foreign workers.

Anonymous said...

A small country filled with greedy self-serving, self-glorifying, self-praising book-worm pseudo scholars as leaders at the top is an ideal recipe for economic blunders and national demise!

.

Anonymous said...

Did Ah Heng's $70 billions trickling budgets cater for the eventuality of the 500,000 foreign workers and domestic helpers getting infected and need treatments, hospital beds, doctors, nurses, medicine and lay-off salaries?

100% he has oversighted on this probability.

So what next? Draw on the Reserves again and announce a 4th Budget to supplement the three "siam-sai" budgets?

4G leaders are only good at fire-fighting solutions. Don't have foresight. Whatsoever. Don't need to take about having long-term vision.

Virgo 49 said...

Out of Topic

CNN- Andrew Yang talking of discriminations agsinst Chinese Americunts.

Now, they realised that the Whites are not loving them in times of who's who's to survive first.

Very very good lessons for the Bananas to learn the Hard Truths.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

US confirmed cases now 500,399. Using a conservative 10% infection rate, in 2days the number will be 600,000. By next Sat the total infected cases in the US will be 1m.

Anonymous said...

The infection rate does not worry Trump. He is now looking for other targets to quarrel with in order to divert attention away from the catastrophe unfolding in NYC and the USA in general.

His quarrel with the WHO is based on flimsy arguments that failed to convince even his own people at home. Now his attention is focused on attacking 'Voice of America' for reporting about the opening of Wuhan. Just how small minded this man is is beyond belief. Is reporting about the opening up of Wuhan fake news? I guess the truth really hurts him.

So, everything that the USA dabbles in and tries to control, and if it turns sour, is again about stopping the funding of those bodies that the USA cannot benefit unilaterally. Days ago, he threatened to stop funding the WHO. Go ahead Trump. It would be even better if you stop funding those military bases in NATO and other oversea bases.

By the way, I read that states in the USA are now outbidding each other for ventilators. That is how bad the situation is! But on the same news site I also read about Trump renewing his pledge to send aid to Italy. Please, 'Liar In Chief', Italy has already fought the real battle weeks ago and is on the road to recovery. Do not try to send fake aid to Italy and try to claim credit for it. We know your purpose and agenda well enough. China knew it long ago, that all the credit will go to Trump should China win the battle against the virus. China wants nothing to do with the USA.

Anonymous said...

When Trump opens his mouth, you know what comes out can only be lies.

Some even say that when Trump talks and starts waving his hands, he thinks he is about to fly.

In any case, the death toll in the USA is, at this point, already more than Spain and the USA has now claimed double honours for the most infections and most deaths.

But Trump is still toying with making his 'greatest decision that he has made as President of the USA' and that is opening up for business in the midst of the escalating outbreak, despite warnings from the WHO and his own scientists. If more than 2,100 deaths yesterday is not big issue to stop his madness, I rest my case. Maybe he knows that this is still far off from the 100,000 deaths that has been targeted by him. Anything less than that is now a win win situation for Trump!

Anonymous said...

I fully support Trump's decision to restart the American economy at Easter.

I don't like Americans.
And Trump helps a lot in my anti-Anerican agenda.

Virgo 49 said...

The Papies are digging their own graves in this episode of COVID-19.

Appointed their High Class high paying ouut of jobs elites to be what's ambassadors going round the whole of Singapore in their still arrogant high class attitudes towards the ordinary citizens of old uncles, old aunties and even those who are suay suay required to SHN notices just because they were overseas before their advisories not to travel after their required dates.

These young punks thinking that they had rubbed of the high and mighty powers from their PAP elites are been too forceful and intimating to the ordinary citizens.

I had came across many instances of their How Lian high handed attitudes.

These would be a political cause of downfalls to their coming Elections.

The Older Folks and many others would be very angry with their highhanded attitudes.

These youngsters immature manure manual nianials have no EQ and antagonised the voting electrate.

Good shows to see.

Anonymous said...

November is not far away. He has to save the economy. The helicopter money of $2.2 trillion, and now much more, will push Wall Street to new highs. Trump's supporters and the world only look and care for this two indicators, not whether the virus will kill hundreds of thousands or that the helicopter money all goes to the elites and their cronies.

America is going great again! Yeah, I also support Trump being back in business! The best there was, the best there is and the best it will ever be!

Virgo 49 said...

LiamHeZaoBao state another 700 Sporeans instant citizens and PRs from India coming back from India's lockdown.

Good luck and cheers

Anonymous said...

Let's be honest.

How many of you here are hoping a PAP Millionaire gets infected?

How many more of you are hoping the old man's son or his wife will get infected jialat, jialat until ICU?

Anonymous said...

How many of these returned new citizens done NS?

Virgo 49 said...

Coronvirus found in air ssmples up to 4 metres from patients.

Latest report.

So, what's with the one meter rule?

All the while, all fumbling and guessworks with hantam buta guessing here and there.

So, one metre rule of or kong 300$ is to take back the 600$ they are giving you.

Initially, no need to wear masks.

Now Alamak Senior said no masks no boarding my transport and NEA said cannot go in markets.

Why critised Hong Kongers and Carrie Lam from wearing masks.

Will never admit their blunders.

Now getting serious with more infections from their ever growing POP.

Anonymous said...

The thousands of new citizens that the PAP has implanted into Singapore will one day topple the PAP.

These New citizens are actually betrayers of their own country. Betraying is deep down inside their hearts.

One day, PAP will be betrayed, in the same way PAP has betrayed the people of Singapore. This is called Retribution or Karma!

Anonymous said...

The American pop is 330m and they have just tested about 2.4m people or less than 1%. And they have 501,000 confirmed cases. What would be the number of confirmed cases if they have enough test kits to test 10% of their pop, ie 33m people? 6m or about 10x infected cases from the present 501,000?

And Trump and his merry men and women are spinning about hitting the peak when many states have just started. New York is probably the only state can claim to be close to the peak, but the rest of the states are weeks behind New York.

When the peak hits, American infection number is likely to be in the millions.

Anonymous said...

@1105pm,

//but the rest of the states are weeks behind New York//

Those are the poor areas. The rich areas already peaked or peaking soon.

That's why the elites & rich are happy now.

Just like in S'pore -- how many clusters in district 9, 10, or 11??

Or izit much more in poorer districts & hdb town areas?

Anonymous said...

Actually the PAP leaders have woken up loong loong ago.
It is Tommy Koh who is still sleeping. Perhaps, he has taken an overdose of weeds.

The day PAP leaders woken up was the same day they started to make themselves instant millionaires at the expense of taxpayers money, during GCT's time (who compared one plate of kuay teow a day for every Singaporeans to pay for the PAP leaders to amass their wealth), while the knuckle-duster old man was still alive.

Tommy Koh has been taken for a loong loong ride, yet he is still unaware. Quite sad.

70% voters have been on the same loong loong ride with Tommy Koh, yet still snoozing. Even more sad.

Virgo 49 said...

No clusters in SenTohSa?

Aibeh TOH ah?

Anonymous said...

@Virgo,

//No clusters in SenTohSa?//

Sentosa not D9, D10, or D11.

Elites & clever rich don't buy in Sentosa.

Only stupid rich and nouveau riche buy in Sentosa. Many from China & Indonesia.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The thousands of new citizens that the PAP has implanted into Singapore will one day topple the PAP.

These New citizens are actually betrayers of their own country. Betraying is deep down inside their hearts.

One day, PAP will be betrayed, in the same way PAP has betrayed the people of Singapore. This is called Retribution or Karma!

April 11, 2020 10:23 pm

Right, they will be FBI.