Covid-19 facility at Tanjong Pagar Terminal begins receiving workers

SINGAPORE - A facility built at Tanjong Pagar Terminal to house patients or foreign workers with the coronavirus started receiving workers on Tuesday (May 5).

When The Straits Times visited the site on Saturday, workers could be seen donning masks and settling in.

The Ministry of National Development said the partially completed tentage at the terminal can house up to 3,500 people.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean shared pictures of the facility which he said is being prepared to house patients who are currently recovering or who have recovered from Covid-19.

The facility at the terminal includes tentage with beds and floating workers' accommodation facilities, going by photos posted by Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security. He also noted that the tents have coolers in every room and a fan for every patient.

The tentage and floating accommodations are for step-down care facilities, with proper social distancing in place, he said.

It means that Covid-19 patients from hospitals who are recovering or have mild symptoms can be transferred to Tanjong Pagar Terminal to be cared for, alongside other community isolation facilities such as Changi Exhibition Centre and the Singapore Expo.

This is supposed to help free up hospital facilities for more serious cases, even as Singapore reports more confirmed Covid-19 cases daily, especially among foreign workers from dormitories due to extensive testing.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/MrTeoCheeHean/posts/2797129570365201[/embed]

Referring to the tents and floating accommodations at Tanjong Pagar Terminal, Mr Teo thanked public agencies and private sector partners, noting that they "worked tirelessly to construct and prepare these sites in a matter of weeks, particularly the tentage facilities".

He is currently advising the multi-ministry task force on handling the Covid-19 situation in foreign worker dormitories.

Other locations have recently been identified as temporary sites to house healthy foreign workers in essential services too.

This includes the former Nexus International School in 201 Ulu Pandan Road.

The site, which can house up to 1,000 people, will be refurbished for essential workers this month. The workers are expected to move in by mid-June.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher de Souza assured residents that the site would be self-contained, with all meals and amenities provided on site.

He also said that steps would be taken to ensure the well-being and safety of the workers while simultaneously minimising the disruption to residents living close to the facility.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.