SINGAPORE — Up to 30,000 vaccinated migrant workers residing in dormitories will be allowed to visit the community during weekends and public holidays from next Tuesday (March 15), up from the current limit of 6,000 people.

On weekdays, the cap will be increased to 15,000, up from the current 3,000, as part of a move to align Covid-19 regulations in dormitories with those in the community.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement on Friday that this comes as the migrant worker population has become “very resilient” to Covid-19 infections.

“The number of Covid-19 cases within dormitories has stayed very low over the past few weeks,” it said. “Vaccination coverage and booster take-up among migrant workers have been very strong”.

It added: "Hence, there are good reasons to take a significant step to allow more of our vaccinated migrant workers to visit the community safely, and to safeguard their well-being."

The community visit programme was piloted in September last year, where up to 500 vaccinated migrant workers a week were allowed to leave their dormitories to visit designated areas for the first time in one-and-a-half years since the coronavirus outbreak.

The number has gradually increased over time, with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in October last year raising it to 3,000 vaccinated migrant workers a week to selected places in the community.

To manage crowding at popular places, MOH said that the migrant workers will still be required to apply to visit their selected locations in the community.

“MOM will monitor the application numbers and continue to conduct regular checks at potential congregation hotspots,” the ministry added.

Each visit is capped to eight hours.

In response to a question on why migrant workers are not yet allowed to move even more freely, Mr Gan Kim Yong, co-chairman of the national Covid-19 task force, said during a media briefing on Friday that the authorities will continue to monitor the situation.

"Going forward, I think the adjustments between the dormitory and community are going to be in sync," the Minister for Trade and Industry said. "We will try to, as much as possible, move together... so we don't have to then have a different set of rules for different settings."

He added: "I think this will keep it simpler, and for whether it's dormitory operator, whether it's workplaces, you will find it easier to understand, easier to implement. And as a result, actually it will be more effective in controlling and managing the pandemic."