Facebook user Christy Soo voiced her dismay when her workers were allegedly infected by the Covid virus after an infected worker was sent to stay in the same room with other workers who are healthy. This resulted in 5 of her workers getting infected with the virus. She stated that her repeated emails and call did not seem to get the answers to clear her doubts and anxiety in managing her foreign workers.
Here was what she stated in her post.
“What exactly is the safe-living measures?
Another incident of a worker who is tested positive for COVID-19 and not isolated from the rest of the healthy workers in the same room has happened again today.
This worker who did a swab test yesterday, received a SMS from MOH today 24 July at 12:08pm that his result was COVID-19 positive.
But as of now he is still staying in the same room with other workers who are healthy.
I contacted the dormitory operator , Tuas South Dormitory and they asked me to wait. Then I called MOH and they directed me to call MOTS.
We asked the worker to report to FAST TEAM / Inter-agency Task Force (ITF) but was being told that his employer ask him to stay in the room.
This particular worker was shifted to my workers’ room since 15 June 2020. Prior to this, I have raised my concern to the dormitory operator and protested strongly against having to share unit with other workers from different company. But we were left with no alternative option but to comply with MOM’s advisory.
All of my workers have been quarantined since 13 April 2020 and have been placed in isolation since April .
They stayed in the room for the past three and a half months (since 12 April 2020) .
They have been tested negative both for serology test and swab test for a few times.
We gave them our assurance that if they follow these safety measures and remain uninfected, they will be allowed to return to work by July 2020.
Earlier, I wrote to MOM to request for the relocation and release of our workers from the present dormitory on 17 June to two other alternative accommodation that we have arranged for them.
MOM responded and said it currently will only approve workers who have recovered from COVID-19 (with discharge memos from MOH ) to relocated them from uncleared dormitory to employer’s provided site.
I followed up with a separate appeal to MOM but didn’t get any further response from MOM.
With this recent turn of event, it seems that workers and employer who are diligent and responsible to ensure that their workers adhere to safe distancing, minimize movement are being penalized.
Not only are our workers not going to be released for work soon, they are now facing a potential risk of infection due to staying in close proximity with a COVID-19 positive worker from another company. Employers like us will still have to continue to pay their Levy, salary and accommodation for the month of July and August when they are not working at all.
Our nightmare begins now and all our plans and hopes are dashed again! We are looking forward to the 2H of July , the timeline given by ITF and they will be able to resume work soon.
All our workers are living in fear now. This is not fair to them and same goes to employer.
They have been isolated since 13 April and now we do not know exactly what will happen next?
There is a possibility that their result will turn from being negative to positive…It will be wasting all the effort they made to isolate themselves since 13 April till now…
Our repeated email, calls do not seem to get the answers to clear our doubts and anxiety in managing our foreign workers and project.
We shall be grateful if MOM could look into it urgently so that we can resume our contractual obligations and livelihood as soon as possible.
Latest update : 25 Jul
5 of my workers status changed from negative to active Covid.
This is the result and efforts that everyone made to isolate themselves since 13 April.
This is devastating!
What is the proper safety measures by keeping healthy workers with infected ones?”
