Up to 500 vaccinated migrant workers allowed to visit Little India as part of pilot programme to ease movement restrictions

SINGAPORE - A pilot programme allowing migrant workers in dormitories to go back into the community is set to begin next week - nine months after the scheme was first announced in December last year and more than 16 months after movement curbs were first imposed.

For a start, up to 500 fully vaccinated migrant workers living in dorms that have had no Covid-19 cases in the previous two weeks will be allowed to visit pre-identified locations in the community for up to six hours each week.

These dorms will also need to have good safe living measures in place and must have a 90 per cent vaccination rate, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Thursday (Sept 9).

 

More than nine in ten migrant workers living in dorms are fully vaccinated but The Straits Times understands that some dorms have not met the required vaccination rates.

The first identified location for the pilot scheme is Little India.

Workers will be required to take an antigen rapid test (ART) before the visit and three days after the visit.

 

MOM will evaluate the pilot scheme after a month to see how it can safely expand the scope and scale.

The ministry will also be easing other restrictions from next Monday. This comes as a new mandatory self-testing regimen for workers living in dorms is also set to begin the same day.

As part of this new regimen, workers will need to regularly test themselves using antigen rapid tests. This is in addition to the rostered routine testing they are subjected to every seven or 14 days.

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From next Monday, all migrant workers will also be allowed to visit their designated recreation centre twice a week, up from once a week currently.

MOM said it will work with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to introduce activities such as movie screenings, sports events and religious services.

Workers will be allowed to visit the recreation centres within 48 hours of a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or within 24 hours of a negative ART.

Workers who are looking to visit the recreation centres for a second time in the same week outside of their regular testing window can do so with a negative ART result. This additional test can be done at the recreation centre.

Excursions to local attractions organised by NGOs will also be allowed to resume. Participants must take pre-event tests.