MOM Announces Further Easing of Restrictions
Starting this Saturday (Oct 30), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in Singapore will further relax movement restrictions for vaccinated migrant workers residing in dormitories. Up to 3,000 workers will be permitted to visit Little India and Geylang Serai weekly, with each visit lasting up to eight hours. This expansion follows a successful pilot where up to 500 workers were initially allowed community visits, which was later increased to about 700 from 30 dormitories.
Eligibility for these community visits is limited to workers from dormitories free of Covid-19 clusters, ensuring that safety measures are in place and vaccination rates are high. An antigen rapid test (ART) will be required on the day of the visit.
Feedback from the initial pilot indicated a desire for longer visits and more destination options, prompting this expansion. Additionally, MOM has announced eased restrictions for visits to recreation centres, allowing all vaccinated migrant workers to visit these facilities up to three times per week. These centres provide essential services like shopping for necessities, getting haircuts, and remitting money, along with dining and communal areas, located in eight places around Singapore.
For unvaccinated workers, visiting recreation centres will still require a negative ART result, either from routine testing or a pre-visit test. As of the announcement, over 97% of migrant workers in dormitories are fully vaccinated.
While some workers like Mr. Jasim Uddin from Bangladesh, who has worked in Singapore’s construction sector for 14 years, see the registration process as cumbersome, others like Mr. Miah Md Bachchu, a construction safety supervisor, are eager for the opportunity to leave the confines of their dorms, having only ventured out a couple of times since the restrictions began.
