02 Jun 2020
Ref No.: 020620 (1)
UEN: S97SS0046G
Dear Valued ASPRI Members,
Overcoming COVID-19 Together: 40,000 Migrant Workers Cleared of COVID-19 Infections • Cleared Dormitories • New Feature on SGWorkPass App
40,000 MIGRANT WORKERS CLEARED OF COVID-19 INFECTIONS
A total of 40,000 migrant workers have been cleared of COVID-19 infections. This means they have either tested negative, or were tested positive before but have fully recovered and been discharged. They must also be residing in accommodations where fellow residents have been cleared of the virus.
About 12,000 of them are essential workers who have been moved out earlier from dormitories into government-provided accommodation facilities and have been working thus far. 20,000 were transferred to the government-provided accommodation facilities after recovering or testing negative.
Another 8,000 are residents of the first batch of 60 dormitories that will be declared as cleared with effect from 1 June 2020, 2359 hours. This first batch consists of 3 Purpose-Built Dormitories (PBDs) and 57 Factory-Converted Dormitories (FCDs) and Construction Temporary Quarters (CTQs).
CLEARED DORMITORIES
A cleared dormitory is one where every block within has been declared as cleared of COVID-19 cases. The residents in the cleared blocks/dormitories are workers who have either been tested negative, or were tested positive before but have fully recovered and been discharged.
11 PBDs and 100 FCDs and CTQs are due to be cleared in the coming weeks. They will house an estimated 50,000 cleared workers. The list of cleared dormitories and dormitories to be cleared in coming weeks are available here.
NEW FEATURE ON SGWORKPASS APP
In response to requests by dormitory operators and employers to have a way to check the work status of the foreign employees, the Inter-agency Taskforce (ITF) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), together with Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and Government Technology Agency (GovTech), have created a new “AccessCode” feature on the SGWorkPass mobile app.
The colour status of the AccessCode takes into account three broad parameters:
a) Worker’s health status – they were tested positive earlier and discharged or have been tested negative;
b) Worker’s work status – the lead agencies (e.g. Ministry of Trade & Industry (MTI), Economic Development Board (EDB) and Building & Construction Authority (BCA)) have granted approval for his employer to resume business operations; and
c) Worker’s residence status – his dormitory or block is cleared, and his address is kept updated.
AccessCode will generate on SGWorkPass three colours depending on the worker’s status:
• “Green” status: Worker met all conditions and allowed to leave the dormitory for work;
• “Grey” status: Worker’s employer has not been approved to resume work, or the AccessCode does not apply;
• “Red” status: Worker did not meet one or more of the conditions, and is not allowed to leave the dormitory for work.
Please click here to view the appended press release for the AccessCode Conditions and more information.