Latest Coronavirus Update: Singapore quarantines 20K workers

Latest Coronavirus Update: Singapore quarantines 20K workers

The move comes as Singapore sees a spike in local cases of COVID-19, with a record 116 such cases on Sunday.

AgenciesUpdated: Tuesday, April 07, 2020, 06:54 AM IST
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Representational Image | AFP

Singapore has placed nearly 20,000 foreign workers under quarantine in their dormitories after an increasing number in the community were found to be infected with COVID-19.

The country has gazetted two foreign dormitories as isolation areas, which means that the thousands of workers living on both sites will not be able to leave their rooms for 14 days, according to a press release by Singapore's ministry of health on April 5.

Combined, the two dormitories have so far seen over 90 cases of COVID-19 infections.

The move comes as Singapore sees a spike in local cases of COVID-19, with a record 116 such cases on Sunday.

Singapore will also effectively enter a lockdown from Tuesday, closing schools and workplaces deemed to provide nonessential services for a month.

Workers under quarantine will continue to be paid salaries, the ministry said. It is also working with all dormitory operators in Singapore to reduce the density of their residents by transferring some workers to alternative accommodation during this period.

Meanwhile, Singapore will suspend operations of Changi Airport's terminal 2 for 18 months from the beginning of next month following a sharp drop in passenger traffic due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Changi Airport is Singapore's main civilian airport and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. It has four terminals.

"We will save on running costs for the airport operator, retail tenants, airlines and ground handlers," Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Monday, after announcing plans to halt operations at the airport's terminal 2 from May 1. One terminal is enough to handle the current traffic at the airport, he said.

"While full recovery this year is unlikely, partial recovery next year is probable. We must be ready to lead and to ride the recovery when it happens," said the minister.

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