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Covid-19: Stay-home notice for foreign workers in construction sector extended till May 18

SINGAPORE — The stay-home notice period for all work permit and S Pass holders in the construction sector will be extended by another two weeks till May 18, as the number of foreign workers not living in dormitories infected by Covid-19 continues to rise.

The stay-home notice, imposed last month to protect employers and workers from further risk of Covid-19 transmission at construction worksites, was originally slated to end on May 4.

The stay-home notice, imposed last month to protect employers and workers from further risk of Covid-19 transmission at construction worksites, was originally slated to end on May 4.

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SINGAPORE — The stay-home notice period for all work permit and S Pass holders in the construction sector will be extended by another two weeks till May 18, as the number of foreign workers not living in dormitories infected by Covid-19 continues to rise.

Their dependents will also have to serve the longer stay-home notice, said the Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in a joint statement on Friday (May 1).

The stay-home notice, imposed last month to protect employers and workers from further risk of Covid-19 transmission at construction worksites, was originally slated to end on May 4. 

It excludes those staying in dorms declared as isolation areas.

However, the authorities said on Friday that the prevalence of infected construction workers living outside dorms “remains noticeably higher than the general community”.

This suggests that transmission at construction worksites among such workers had occurred before the start of the stay-home notice period and the cases that are now being observed could have been incubated earlier or may have spread among the workers’ close contacts and housemates.

Construction workers likely live in shared accommodation and continue interacting with one another unlike most who serve their stay-home notices in isolation, they noted.

“Based on the public health assessment by MOH, an extension of the stay-home notice by a further 14 days to cover another incubation cycle will help to break the cycle of transmission,” they added.

Employers should arrange for the delivery of food or groceries and other daily essentials, and ensure their workers consult a doctor immediately when unwell, the authorities said.

The advisory issued on April 18 — when the stay-home notice was first implemented — to employers on their obligations to their affected workers will continue to apply.

Employers whose foreign workers have been approved to carry out essential services during the stay-home notice period can continue with their works, unless the BCA terminates the approval.

Foreign workers granted exemptions are allowed to leave their homes only to perform essential activities.

“We recognise the impact on affected employers and appreciate their cooperation. Their efforts will help to enable an eventual restart of the sector. 

“Thus far, the vast majority of employers have looked after their workers well. We will need them to continue doing so for the remaining period of the stay-home notice,” the authorities added in their statement.

The Singapore Contractors Association Limited (Scal) is also setting up a Covid-19 fund to help small and medium-sized enterprises during this period and will release details at a later date. 

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Covid-19 coronavirus foreign workers dormitory stay-home notice MOM

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