Josephine Teo
Singapore
“The Government's risk-calibrated approach to data security in artificial intelligence (AI) systems was explained in a written reply, given on 9 January 2024, to related questions asked by Dr Tan Wu Meng and Mr Gerald Giam.”
“Access to frontier models is helpful for specific use cases, such as advanced research and cybersecurity. However, these form a small proportion of artificial intelligence (AI) demand. For most industry, Government and research uses, capable models are already available.”
“The Government tracks the development of technical standards for identifying artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content, including watermarking and digital provenance approaches, as part of broader efforts to manage AI-related risks.”
“Upon receiving a valid report of intimate image abuse, the Commissioner of Online Safety is empowered by law to direct Online Service Providers (OSPs) to disable access by Singapore users to the specified harmful online material. This direction may be extended to cover identical copies found on the platform.”
“The Government is committed to keeping children safe online. We have announced plans to extend age assurance requirements to designated social media services, including requiring platforms to keep users under 13 off their services.”
“Under the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025, the Commissioner of Online Safety is empowered to issue directions to platforms to remove specified harmful content, including intimate image abuse.”
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“Every year, around 0.3% of foreign work pass holders file claims under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA). Around 70 claims for fatal injuries and 2800 claims for permanent disability by foreign workers of all pass types are successfully resolved. They constitute the overwhelming majority of claims. Inadmissible claims were mostly because the injuries were attributed to non-work reasons. On average, around 1% of fatal injury claims and 5% of claims for permanent disability were inadmissible. Regardless of whether the WICA claims were admissible, employers are required to maintain medical insurance for their foreign workers and pay for all medical expenses incurred in Singapore. The Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) also provides additional emergency assistance to migrant workers who are in need.”
“Over the past three months, the Ministry received an average of about eight complaints per 10,000 FDWs each month. This is comparable to the average number of complaints we received in the same period last year. While some FDWs had concerns about not having suitable or enough food, others had issues with their workload. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) investigates all complaints seriously and will take the party responsible to task in accordance with our laws. We will also provide whatever assistance and support we can to the aggrieved party. Apart from raising their concerns to MOM, FDWs who face stress at work or require advice have access to various avenues of support. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) and the Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (FAST) each maintain a 24-hour helpline for FDWs. In addition, CDE partners mental health advocacy organisations, such as the Silver Ribbon to provide counselling services for FDWs who need someone to talk to. FAST has also developed various meaningful e-activities for FDWs to participate in, such as online mental resilience talks and exercise programmes, like Zumba, Pilates and yoga sessions, to help FDWs recharge and keep healthy. As we all adjust to the disruptions in our households due to COVID-19, we encourage employers and FDWs to maintain open communication with each other and exercise extra understanding and sensitivity to each other's needs. FDWs are an important part of our households and we will continue to work with our partners to safeguard their well-being in Singapore.”
“Mrs Josephine Teo: Under the Workplace Safety and Health Act (WSHA), the host company is responsible to ensure that workplaces are safe and without any health risks to every person on its premises, including the SGUnited trainees. In the event of any harassment, TAFEP will assist and support trainees who encounter such incidents. TAFEP will advise the trainees on the actions they can take, such as reporting the incident to the HR or, if the conduct constitutes criminal conduct, to make a Police report.”
“Working together, we can clear roadblocks, widen existing pathways and open up new pathways where none existed. A big push for these pathways will inspire hope and confidence in our people and keep us moving forward. Mr Deputy Speaker, I am not a particularly big fan of motivational quotes but this one by a certain Vivian Greene struck a chord. She says poetically, "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain". COVID-19 is a powerful virus that has unleashed a storm worldwide. But for Singapore, it is igniting something quite remarkable – our unity, resilience, solidarity and fortitude. And along the way, if we also learn to dance in the rain, why not? Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Budget.”
“We welcome all partners. Mr Speaker, I said at the start that we should gear up for a storm. This may sound frightening and, indeed, we should not underestimate how rough the weather might become. But we are not going in without some cover. In fact, I think there are at least three reasons to be hopeful. First, for well over a decade, we have invested heavily in our CET infrastructure and embarked on the SkillsFuture movement since 2015. We now have a very vibrant CET ecosystem that provides quality training to working adults, which we will continue to strengthen under the Next Bound of SkillsFuture. When I meet with my international counterparts, this very well-developed CET eco-system and the SkillsFuture movement are a great source of envy for them. Second, even with low visibility, we are not navigating without compasses and searchlights. For several years now, we have developed Industry Transformation Maps and carefully positioned each sector for future growth. This is the work of the Future Economy Council, which Deputy Prime Minister Heng chairs, and it has been investing a tremendous amount of time and effort to ensure that the roadmap to the future is well outlined at the very least and we know what we need to do. In Financial Services, for example, we know the new skills needed within the next three years for practically every job role there is – that level of detail – every job role. That makes for much more effective curation of training and attachment pathways. Third, and perhaps most important of all, Singapore's unique brand of tripartism means that even in stormy waters, we can row as one, in unison towards the same destination. In Chinese, we would say: "风雨同舟, 向前推进". Few other countries have this extraordinary advantage.”
“This is why we have significantly built up our digital presence and range of digital services on MyCareersFuture.sg. Even before the circuit breaker, we rolled out a series of thematic Virtual Career Fairs (VCFs) in sectors, such as ICT, Logistics & Transport, and Healthcare and Community Care. We will bring this to the SGUnited Traineeships as well. Let me put this plainly. We will spare no effort to open up new pathways for jobseekers and guide them appropriately – as big a push as we can muster. But for matches to happen, I urge jobseekers to keep an open mind – stay open to pathways that you would not have considered previously. Give the employers a chance and give yourself a chance. To extend our reach to more workers and employers, we have been working closely with our tripartite partners, with encouraging results. When air travel came to a standstill due to COVID-19, NTUC played an instrumental role in kick-starting job redesign projects. Close to 4,000 workers in the Air Transport sector will be reskilled for new roles, ready when our airhub opens in a much bigger way. NTUC's e2i has been working through the NTUC Job Security Council to push out short-term and long-term job opportunities for retrenched workers. The Singapore Business Federation signed up to be our main programme partner for the SGUnited Traineeships Programme. We will reach out and partner more trade associations and chambers to open up pathways in their respective sectors. We value the networks that they have and we believe that by working closely with them, we will be able to reach more businesses and enable more pathways to open up for jobseekers. I want to also add that these partnerships can include SEP associations like those for sports coaches and media freelancers.”
“We are heartened that more than 1,000 organisations, including many SMEs, have stepped forward to offer to host more than 11,000 traineeships. One example is familiar to us – Carousell, a homegrown tech scale-up – no longer a start-up but a scale-up. Carousell created a new trainee position for graduates to learn how the company strategises to grow its markets and build customer loyalty. The experience of working in a start-up culture or scale-up culture is certainly useful. We are also very keen to open up attachment pathways for mid-career jobseekers. At the first NJC meeting yesterday, there was intense discussion about the potential for such experienced mid-career persons to help businesses transform, particularly SMEs. This will supplement the resources of hard-pressed SMEs to build up their capabilities. More pathways of this type could be win-win. Another important pathway could be through the Continuing Education and Training (CET) Centres and Institutes of Higher Learning. While looking to land a job or attachment pathway, it is useful to acquire new skills through a structured programme. Such programmes can have a combination of classroom training and company involvement, such as industrial project work. The SGUnited Skills programme aims to create up to 30,000 of such pathways. To help jobseekers find the most suitable pathway, we will expand our ground presence. We now have five career centres island-wide and partnerships with NTUC’s e2i, the Social Service Offices, CDCs, self-help groups, such as MENDAKI. To be closer to jobseekers, we aim to build up a presence in all HDB towns through satellite career centres. But in any case, not every jobseeker needs to come through WSG's physical door.”
“Recognising the enormity of the task, Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has described the National Jobs Council (NJC) as a “national team” to rally and mobilise every possible partner to build up a pipeline of such opportunities, catering to multiple sectors and every skill level. The target of close to 100,000 opportunities is not insurmountable but the NJC will have to work very, very hard to create the pathways, involving multiple partners. Notwithstanding the challenges, our top-most priority is still to promote jobs and making sure that jobseekers have access to them. The SGUnited Jobs initiative will be scaled up to provide more than 40,000 jobs in 2020. Many of the permanent positions in the public sector are a result of hiring plans being brought forward. These include science and engineering roles in agencies like HTX and positions in early childhood education, healthcare and long-term care. We will also ramp up capacity of career conversion programmes to help jobseekers reskill for new roles in the private sector, such as for Auxiliary Police Officers in the security sector. As businesses transform, workers may become redundant. We will work with employers to prepare them for redeployment rather than unemployment. In this climate, I think we should be realistic but also opportunistic – in a good way. Employers may hold back job offers but we can encourage them to offer traineeship or attachment pathways, through meaningful funding support. These traineeships may not provide the same security as a job, but they will provide valuable industry-relevant experience and better position a jobseeker when the economy recovers. For a start, we aim to open up about 25,000 traineeship pathways for recent graduates and mid-career jobseekers.”
“Collectively for Singapore, this means not allowing the downturn to erode our human capital but, instead, to enhance it so that we can emerge stronger as one. This is the challenge we should set for ourselves. I need not tell Members how enormous this challenge is. The Government, as a whole, has declared our collective ambition – to generate close to 100,000 opportunities in jobs, traineeships or attachments and skills training through the SGUnited Jobs and Skills package. To give Members a sense of scale, Workforce Singapore (WSG) and its partners like NTUC's e2i and MAS placed an average of 29,000 locals into jobs every year in the last three years – 29,000 as opposed to the 100,000 that we are aiming for between now and the end of the year. Each of these 29,000, on average, already involves painstaking work. In many cases, there are job and skills mismatches. In others, there are mismatches of wage expectations. In today’s context, we must add another significant mismatch and it has to do with timing. Many jobseekers will be hungry for work and school leavers eager to start their careers. But employers will be hesitant and not ready to hire. After all, they may not themselves have enough visibility about the business. As a result, there will likely be many more jobseekers than jobs available. We must expect many roadblocks on previously well-established pathways to jobs. As a millennial might put it, it is an epic challenge to create new pathways for 100,000 people under such circumstances.”
“If we did not have this cover, we would already be drenched in soaring unemployment, as can be seen in some countries. We would be dealing with a very different problem today. Instead, we now have a window of opportunity to get organised. This year, we expect the economy to shrink by between 4% and 7%. We must gear up for further job losses, although we do not know exactly how severe it will be. Uncertainty about the future will also moderate hiring. Besides defending existing jobs, we must try to open up many more pathways to jobs. There is a Chinese idiom "未雨绸缪". It reminds us to plan ahead before the storm hits. This will be critical in the months ahead. There will have to be a big push for many pathways to jobs: pathways for retrenched and mid-career persons from all sectors and all ages, middle-aged or older; pathways for fresh graduates from our ITEs, Polytechnics, Universities and other educational institutions; pathways for self-employed persons (SEPs) who want to remain SEPs or to move into regular employment. We will need tight coordination to create multiple pathways for a whole range of workers. But where should these pathways lead? Ideally, they should lead to a job. But in today’s context, it may not be an immediate job or even a permanent one at the start. It should, however, be a pathway that allows for people to use their time meaningfully, learn something useful and gain valuable experience. As much as possible, it should be a path to a better, brighter future. We have a real stake in doing this well. Not only do we want to enable every Singaporean to remain meaningfully occupied, we want to help each citizen to preserve his or her human capital and to build on it.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, the overwhelming majority of Members of Parliament speaking today expressed concerns about jobs. Since the last quarter of 2019 before COVID-19 hit, I had described Singapore's job market as experiencing "persistent showers with pockets of sunshine". With the evolving COVID-19 situation, the weather has become even more uneven and unpredictable. Clearly, some sectors have experienced a downpour. Others are beginning to brighten up. However, unlike cyclical downturns, with COVID-19, there is much less visibility about the future. It is hard to tell if a bigger storm is brewing or how long it may last. Bad weather is something my husband and I learnt to embrace. On our travels, we like to go hiking. When we were younger, we used to fret whenever the weather turned bad. Later, we learnt a saying that is popular among Scandinavians, that "there is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing." Even with the best of plans, bad weather cannot always be avoided. Instead of being frustrated, we learnt to gear up and be ready to step out in any weather. It is not just to wander aimlessly, but to try and make our way to where there are clearer skies and to get back in the sun. It takes a lot of effort, but it is better than to be stuck with nowhere to go. That is how I think we can deal with the situation today. Focus on getting ready for a possible storm, and put all our energies into gearing up. Part of the gearing up is the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) and other support programmes under the Unity, Resilience, Solidarity and Fortitude Budgets. Each of these schemes is helping to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the labour market. They are providing much needed cover to businesses and workers, saving jobs and livelihoods.”
“Not specifically, Mr Speaker. That is my answer to Mr Ng. Although, I think there are many other contributing factors that are more prominent. We have many priorities. We have a lot of things on our plate. Useful studies, we will take a look at them. But it will not be realistic to chase down every study. We have to just be circumspect about which are the avenues that are worth pursuing.”
“When a worker comes to work in Singapore for the first time, they go through a settling-in programme and the migrant workers' ambassadors are also familiar, or at least we continuously reach out through them, to remind workers of which are the avenues that they have to raise their concerns. Many Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) also establish links with these workers. Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad, engages these NGOs on a very regular basis. We have worked out a system where regardless of where these workers are housed, they are able to provide feedback and raise their concerns with us so that we can address them properly. If language turns out to be a barrier, we have no shortage of people who are able to come in to intermediate. The process may take a little bit longer, but it can be done. And finally, I appreciate Ms Ong's clarification on her intent.”
“Mr Speaker, on Ms Ong's second question, the position has been very clear, from the beginning. Wherever it is that the workers are living and including in the dormitories, the employers have primary responsibility. But as Ms Ong will also be aware, in the gazetted dormitories and subsequently in all the purpose-built dormitories, the Government put together staff teams to support the operations at the dormitories. And that had included a provision of food as well. So, that part of it I think, has been clear. Even during this period of the circuit breaker, the employers have responsibility for salary and for upkeep. Ms Ong mentioned miscellaneous expenses, I am not entirely sure what other miscellaneous expenses they include, but if it has to do with the upkeep of the workers, then the answer is yes. Outside of that, there is no blanket to say that the employers must cover all of the workers' cost. It depends on what those cost items are. Back to her first question, on whether the online processes are available in native languages, the online application itself may not be, but then it is also not available in Chinese, in Malay or in Tamil. But what is important is that access to those channels is not impeded by language barriers. For that, we work together with our partners – the Migrant Workers' Centre, for example, has got not just staff but also a very large pool of volunteers and these volunteers can include the migrant workers themselves. In fact, most often, they are the migrant workers themselves.”
“Sir, Speaker, I thank Mr Saktiandi for his questions. As it turned out, my previous job was as a HR director and in that role, I reviewed hundreds, perhaps thousands of job applications, which of course include information of all kinds: name, gender, last drawn pay, where you used to work, what you did in school, Co-curricular Activities (CCAs), what awards you had won, what membership you have. I think if I can share from a HR practitioner's perspective, the last drawn pay is really one of many things that is considered when we make a job offer. If a HR practitioner or a firm is so short-sighted as to look rigidly at the last drawn pay as an indication of the candidate's worth to the organisation, then my advice to the applicant is look for another employer, this is not a company that you should spend too much time on. And that would also be my suggestion. WSG, and actually our partners as well, will be more than happy to work with the job seeker to explore other options. Do not spend too much time and waste your energy with these kinds of employers who cannot see beyond one number.”
“I understand where Mr Patrick Tay is coming from. MOM is mindful that during these times, we have already been issuing many advisories to employers on a whole range of matters. I would be quite careful and circumspect about issuing more. Frankly, employers themselves are under quite considerable pressure and we certainly do not want to enact more rules than is absolutely necessary. The point really is this: between employers and employees, there should be good communication. In certain instances where both sides are under pressure, this may break down. Our approach in handling these disputes is, firstly, to try and establish the facts and, secondly, to try and bring both parties to talk to each other. Quite often, that gets the job done; and quite often, it is due to a misunderstanding of each other's intentions, even more so during such times. Where there is clear evidence of breach of guidelines or laws on the part of the employer, please be assured that we will take action. But, I am quite mindful not to too easily jump to the conclusion that employers are trying to avoid their obligations. In normal times, perhaps there will be a number of such employers. But in these very, very abnormal times, I think the evidence suggests that it is more due to the fact that the employers are also trying but they themselves face a lot of difficulties.”
“Mr Speaker, the short answer to Mr Liang's question is yes, indeed, we should. In one particular aspect of the SGUnited Jobs and Skills package, we have identified Professional Conversion Programmes as an area of opportunity that could potentially benefit the employer as well as the job seeker. As Mr Liang correctly points out, there have been areas where, for many years, companies have become quite used to filling actually quite good job positions with Employment Pass holders as well as S Pass holders. In the built environment sector, for example, and I am looking at Minister Desmond Lee who is seated right in front of me, he and I have a joint interest, for example, in ensuring that good quality jobs that the built environment sector is creating, such as for building information modelling, these positions can actually be filled by Singaporeans – whether they are graduating from ITE, Polytechnics or even Universities. With appropriate training, they can actually take up these good jobs. What we need to do now is to work with the employers, work with the trade associations, to create the conversion programmes and then to reach out to suitable job applicants and put the match together. I think that is a very positive and the right way to go about trying to help job seekers and, at the same time, benefiting the employers.”
“If you think about not just the Unity, Resilient, Solidarity and Fortitude Budget provisions, which is to try and preserve jobs, we are at the same time not taking for granted that people who will become displaced will be able to move back into jobs easily, given the current situation. That is why there is going to be a big push for many more pathways to jobs, which I will say more about later.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Seah for his supplementary question. Let me say that I completely understand where he is coming from. I appreciate also the fact that he himself, in his capacity as a CEO, is responsible for many employees and he would naturally also want to see if there are ways that he can enable them to continue in employment. So, we are very mindful and at this juncture, we cannot preclude any further moves including the possibility of CPF contribution rate cuts in the future. But I would say also that for CPF rate cuts, while the intention may be temporary in nature, the loss to a person's ability to accumulate savings for retirement is permanent. Once that savings opportunity is foregone, it cannot easily be reclaimed, and it usually takes a very long time to eventually restore whatever rates that have been cut. And, certainly, for the individual, there is very little likelihood that they can make up for what they were not able to grow in their CPF savings. So, it is a decision that we have to take very carefully and certainly not lightly at all especially in consideration of the fact that our people will continue to live long lives. If we continue to manage our healthcare well, that must still be the upside to having progress in our society. Therefore, we have to look at the longer term implications of any moves on the CPF front. It may well come to a stage where we have to do something about it. I take Mr Seah's point very well that if we can be proactive than to be reactive to the situation, that is indeed what we are trying to do.”
“We strengthened the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) and stiffened penalties for employers with discriminatory practices, whether for age or gender bias or for not giving qualified Singaporeans serious consideration for jobs. The COVID-19 outbreak has only strengthened our resolve. In these challenging times, it is all the more critical to give our people the assurance of fair recruitment. Even as we work on opening up more pathways to jobs, we will continue to uphold the Fair Consideration Framework as a commitment to our people.”
“It has also been a long-standing policy that employers have a duty to upkeep their workers until they have been repatriated home. These obligations remain unchanged in this downturn. It is not new to employers and MOM has not seen an increase in the number of such disputes. In any case, migrant workers with issues can raise them to MOM and the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management through the Migrant Worker Ambassadors and the Forward Assurance and Support Team officers that are currently deployed at the dormitories. We are very mindful that this period can be stressful to all workers and, of course, to our migrant workers as well, particularly those who are living in dormitories. As detailed in my Ministerial Statement at the 4 May 2020 sitting of Parliament, we have made extensive efforts to disseminate information to them, in their native languages. Many Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have helped with volunteers manning hotlines and providing additional materials. We are very grateful for their partnership. The National Jobs Council had our first meeting yesterday. Chaired by Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the Council includes veteran business leaders from industries and union leaders. It will focus on identifying and developing jobs, traineeships and skills training opportunities for Singaporeans amidst the COVID-19 situation. Mr Speaker, we will open up many more pathways to jobs. As pointed out by Senior Minister Tharman, the scale of our attempt goes beyond any past experience. Complementing these efforts must be a renewed emphasis on fair opportunities for Singaporeans. This is no less important, in my view. At the start of the year, MOM had identified Fairness at Work as our priority.”
“Nevertheless, after MOM's engagement, the employer arranged for this employee to work more days and only clear six days of annual leave. The company also took our advice to improve their communications by explaining their cost-saving measures clearly to all staff. The cases we reviewed show that in the course of saving the business and preserving jobs, workers and employers need to build trust and maintain open communications. The tripartite partners firmly believe in the principle of shared responsibility, and urge both employers and employees to work together during this difficult time. The general principles of fair treatment apply equally to all our workers, whether local or foreign. Likewise, when companies have to reduce wages in order to save jobs, both local and foreign employees should be considered. In the unfortunate event of retrenchment, it would certainly not be right to expect employers to favour their foreign employees compared to local workers. The Government cannot also be expected to provide the same degree of fiscal support to employers to retain their foreign employees compared to their local employees, as Ms Anthea Ong seems to advocate. That is not a question of fairness, but reasonableness. With respect to disputes involving dismissals, salary payment or repatriation home, there are established processes for handling them. It should not matter whether the worker contracted COVID-19 or not. Employers do not dismiss people because they got the flu or dengue, and they should not do so with COVID-19 either. We have made clear to employers that even if business is disrupted, they must use the levy rebates that the Government has provided to give salary support to their migrant workers.”
“If a company is found to have disguised their retrenchments, MOM can and will consider withdrawing Government support like JSS and suspending their work pass privileges. However, in today's context, the bigger challenge is not that the employer pretends it is not a retrenchment, but that he does not have the means to fulfil his obligations. The tripartite partners have therefore agreed that in instances of genuine financial difficulty for the employer, retrenchment benefit may be re-negotiated or moderated. The norms may have to be set aside in these abnormal times. Nevertheless, businesses should still give some support to retrenched employees, to the extent that they can afford. To ensure fair and responsible implementation of tripartite advisories, MOM has required employers to submit notifications of cost-saving measures they intend to undertake. Through these notifications, MOM and TAFEP identify companies for further engagement, for example, if their planned wage cuts appear excessive. Following our intervention, many companies reviewed their cost-saving measures to give more wage support to employees. Our interventions also reveal that quite often, the worker suspects he has not been fairly treated because of poor communication with his employer. For example, an employee of a private pre-school operator was aggrieved to be asked to clear 13.5 days of her annual leave during the two-month long circuit breaker period. We found that she continued to get full pay even though her work hours were significantly reduced. The employer had also seen a sharp drop in revenue due to school fee refunds and the JSS payout was insufficient to cover employees' full wages during the period. The employer's request was therefore not unreasonable.”
“However, if employers use last drawn salary to screen applicants, they risk losing out on good candidates who are prepared to adjust their salary expectations, especially in today's context. It is similarly unwise for employers to overlook the longer track record of the applicant, and make an offer based solely on the last drawn salary especially if the last-held position was an interim one. If a job seeker chooses to provide salary information, employers should use it carefully. Mr Patrick Tay and Ms Joan Pereira asked about fair treatment of workers when they are retrenched, terminated, or have their wages reduced. In this challenging period, we recognise that both workers and employers have to make sacrifices to save jobs wherever possible. Besides the NWC's guidelines on the fair approach to adjusting wages, the tripartite partners have issued advisories on managing excess manpower. We have been clear that retrenchment should be a last resort. On the question of "disguised retrenchments", there are clear guidelines. Even during the COVID-19 period, whatever the termination of employment is called, an employee is presumed to have been retrenched if the employer cannot show a plan to fill the vacancy any time soon. Let me say that again, even during the COVID-19 outbreak, whatever the termination of employment is called, an employee is presumed to have been retrenched if the employer cannot show a plan to fill the vacancy any time soon. If the retrenchment benefit is spelt out in the employment contract or collective agreement, the employer has a clear obligation to pay. He cannot side-step it by calling the retrenchment something else.”
“If the objective is to reduce the cost burden to employers, JSS has done so with fewer drawbacks. For example, those who depend on CPF contributions to meet housing and healthcare needs can continue to do so. Singaporeans' ability to save for retirement is also not eroded. As an added advantage, JSS is able to target stronger support at sectors that are more affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Another avenue of support was offered by the National Wages Council (NWC). Guidelines issued in March suggested that employers can consider reducing non-wage costs and making use of Government support measures such as the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit to train and upskill workers. The guidelines also advise employers to consider using the Monthly Variable Component (MVC) to adjust wages to save jobs. Such a tripartite approach to managing cost pressures is not easily available in many countries. Nonetheless, we will continue to monitor and assess the situation, and consider whether other measures, including adjusting CPF contribution rates, may be necessary in future. In these challenging times, there are also heightened sensitivities about fair treatment. For example, when it comes to recruitment, Mr Saktiandi Supaat is concerned if job seekers have been forced to declare their last drawn salaries during job application. In fact, there is no rule that job seekers must comply, and employers cannot insist on it. We should, however, take a practical approach on whether employers are allowed to ask for such information. The last drawn salary is a relevant input to employers seeking to gauge a candidate's seniority or to make an appropriate job offer.”
“Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked about our labour market situation in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. For the first quarter of 2020, preliminary estimates showed a slight uptick of our unemployment rate and retrenchments compared to the previous quarter, even though they remained lower than peaks experienced during the SARS outbreak and Global Financial Crisis. Total employment, excluding foreign domestic workers, registered its sharpest quarterly contraction since SARS, due primarily to a significant decline in foreign employment. To Mr Ang Hin Kee's question, there are about 200,000 Singaporeans living, working or studying abroad at any one time. Our employment surveys do not generally cover these overseas Singaporeans. However, given the global impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, we can imagine that some of them may face job losses. As our citizens, they will always be welcome home. We will also do our best to help all Singaporeans, including those who return, and whether they are fresh graduates or mid-career individuals, all the support systems and services will be extended to them. The Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) and other schemes under the Unity, Resilience and Solidarity Budgets are helping to cushion the impact on the labour market. As Singapore's GDP is expected to contract by between 4% and 7%, we should be prepared for further job displacements. Uncertainty about the future will also moderate hiring. We are therefore making a big push to open up pathways to jobs, including traineeships and skills upgrading programmes. I will speak more on these measures during the debate on the Fortitude Budget. Given this backdrop, it is understandable that Mr Seah Kian Peng asks if the Government would consider a temporary reduction of CPF contributions.”
“Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 6 to 13?”
“These questions have been responded to via a Ministerial Statement on 4 May 2020.”
“Personalised Employment Passes (PEP) are granted selectively to persons in senior or highly specialised roles. Unlike Employment Pass (EP) applicants, PEP holders do not require an employer to sponsor their application. They are however required to notify MOM when they find employment, instead of their employers applying for approval. The advertising requirement does not arise as a result. The PEP regime is similar to schemes in other countries, such as the Global Talent Visa in the United Kingdom and the Global Talent Independent programme in Australia, which support businesses in accessing senior or highly specialised persons. In the last few years, PEP holders have accounted for around 1% of all new EPs issued.”
“Mr Speaker, if I may respond to Mr Png's question this way. Every month, the employers pay a certain sum to the dormitory operators to accommodate their workers. Usually, the rooms are rented by one single employer. So, in any particular dormitory, you may have 400 or 500 rooms, whatever the number may be, and one employer takes one room. Within that room, depending on the size of that room, size of that unit, a certain number can be accommodated. So, if as a result of a change in standards where we say that instead of accommodating X persons in one unit, eventually, they can only accommodate X-2 or X-3 persons per unit, then the cost per employee accommodated naturally goes up. Certainly, to the employer, this is something that they have to bear. And whatever the business the employer is in, this goes into his cost considerations and, ultimately, he will pass it on to whoever buys his products and services. So, that is something that we must always keep in mind. It is not so difficult for MOM, by the stroke of a pen, to change some numbers here and there. But we have to consider the overall implications and whether it is bearable for the employers. So, that is on the first part. On the Member's second question on whether the costs eventually have to be apportioned, I think, the scale of COVID-19's impact on businesses and, certainly, even in the dormitories, it is just unprecedented. At this point in time, if we were to start calculating the costs, I think it is very hard to move things; it is impossible to get things done. Right now, the priority must be to keep the situation under control, bring it under control, and then, at the appropriate time, we can look at what are the right considerations in terms of handling the issue of costs.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Ms Sylvia Lim for her question. I think the short answer to her question is, no, we do not exactly know how the transmission in the dormitories got started. We also do not want to speculate about its exact origins because it is not helpful to risk any group within the dormitories being targeted for blame. The important thing right now is that it has happened. We have to try and bring it under control and then we have to focus on getting ourselves onto the recovery path. Very importantly, we also want to set our sights on how a recurrence can be prevented. Now, granted, in order to prevent a recurrence, we have to study and understand more deeply how it occurred in the first place. But we may not have that luxury of a full understanding and still have to make adjustments in the best possible way based on whatever scientific knowledge and understanding we can muster at this point in time and applying the best of the technology and resources that we have available to us. That is the focus right now.”
“Mr Speaker, sorry, can I respond quickly to Miss Cheryl Chan's question? We keep track of the workers' whereabouts or where they live through the Online Foreign Worker Address Service (OFWAS). Sometimes, the workers move from one place to another at the request of their employers or if they have found new accommodation. So, I must say that this updating is not as prompt as we would like it to be. We will have to look into better ways of encouraging the workers and their employers to update this database. If necessary, we may have to put in place stronger measures to make this happen. Because, as this episode shows, it is quite important for us to be able to know their exact whereabouts. As Miss Chan says, in future, for contact tracing purposes, it is not just their residential addresses, it may have to be some other means as well.”
“Mr Speaker, the short answer to Mr Louis Ng's question is that we will consider all aspects that are necessary in order for us to move into a safe recovery mode. So, everything is being considered.”
“Mr Speaker, Ms Anthea Ong asked about an apology. We interact very closely with the workers themselves on a very regular basis at the dormitories and even outside the dormitories, whenever our FAST teams follow up on their requests and feedback. I think that what they are focused on is how we can help them to handle this present situation – not fall sick and if they fall sick, how to take care of them, how to ensure their wages are being paid, how to ensure that they can send money home. These are the things that they have asked of us. I have not come across one single migrant worker himself who has demanded an apology.”
“If we continue to go in this direction, even if some migrant workers are infected, the symptoms are very mild. We should focus all our energy on helping them recover.”
“Mr Speaker, I will also answer the Member, Mr Liang's question in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] There are about 10 million migrant workers who leave their hometown and come to Southeast Asia to work. Only a small portion of them come to Singapore. There are a lot more of them working in Malaysia and Thailand. Countries have their own ways of dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak, including how they want to handle the health issue of their migrant workers and other migrant worker related matters. We need not to speculate whether the infection rate among migrant workers in other countries is higher or lower than Singapore. What we can say is that, each country will have its own considerations and constraints, especially when it comes to testing and treatment which may not be the same as Singapore. Our stance is to tackle this issue comprehensively, including setting out clear strategies and providing sufficient resources, and very importantly, ensuring a tight organisation. If a migrant worker is infected, we will make sure that he receives the same good care as a Singaporean until full recovery. Of course, with the COVID-19 situation, migrant workers not only worry about health, but also their livelihood. We see cases reported in other countries. Quite often, their hometown was also under lockdown or affected by different measures, therefore their family’s livelihood is also under threat. So, when we deal with the migrant workers related issues, besides ensuring that their meals are taken care of, we also look after their other needs, such as getting wages and remitting money back to their hometown. Our comprehensive approach ensures their health as well as their needs in daily life are being taken care of.”
“Mr Speaker, it is not possible for us to tell at this point in time what the retrenchments and the job losses are going to be like during this period. We are watching very carefully. For the time being, we have an added challenge which is that data collection during this period is not as easy as it was. Surveys that are sent to companies may not be picked up in time, because some companies work from home. So, if we have their emails, we will send it to them. Some companies expressed their difficulties to us, for example, in accessing their own databases in order to provide information to MOM. So, we have some of these challenges to overcome. Nonetheless, I think there is not much point and value in us speculating what the retrenchment and unemployment numbers will be like. I think the key is working with the tripartite partners to plan for recovery of economic activities. Earlier in the Ministerial Statement that Minister Lawrence Wong made, he talked about very important changes that we need to make at workplaces. One thing he said – I am not not sure if Members picked up – was the idea of safe management. Meaning, depending on the workplace situation, how do you ensure that workers can continue to come to work and remain safe. So, we are focusing all of our efforts on that front. In the meantime, of course, we are in discussion with economic agencies – MTI and, very importantly with MOF – to see if additional support is needed. I think Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has made the Government's position very clear; and that is, where more help is needed, it will be provided.”
“But listen also to the voices from their hearts, an example of which is captured by the Facebook post of a certain Mr Mirza, who lives in a dormitory. This is what he had to say, “I on behalf of all Bangladeshi migrant workers in Singapore, want to thank the entire Singapore Government, Police, MOM, MOH and every security, every cleaner, every food supplier. They provide us food, daily needs items, mask, sanitizer, free WiFi/SIM card for our time spent in the room. Medical camp in every dormitory. And I am here today promising here in public if I got a chance to do something for Singapore, I will do it at any cost because they are doing their best for me. I will also do my best for them.” On behalf of all Singapore, I thank Mr Mirza for sharing his heartfelt acknowledgement and promise. His words are not fanciful but they remind us what this is about: doing our best for each other in times of hardship. We have said right from the beginning that we have a responsibility to our migrant workers. Many of them made personal sacrifices to come to Singapore to work and they have made significant contributions which we appreciate deeply. We will do everything within our means to make sure that they too win the fight against COVID-19 and reunite with their families in time to come. [Applause.]”
“The volunteers manning the line are migrant workers themselves. Temasek Cares has mobilised its networks to distribute re-usable masks and care packs to more than 650,000 migrant workers including domestic workers. The corporate community is also stepping forward, such as the contribution of 300,000 sets of toiletries by Procter & Gamble. Among grassroots supports, Mdm Magdalene Poh from Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng sourced for and donated 10,000 bottles of hand sanitizers. Ba'Alwie Mosque donated 450 boxes of dates to eight FCDs. The Inter-agency Task Force (ITF) is especially thankful to a group of 10 NGOs and community groups. such as the Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach, COVID-19 Migrant Support Coalition – which was introduction from Mr Louis Ng; we are very grateful for that – and also Crisis Relief Alliance. These NGOs and community groups deliver food, masks and care packs to migrant workers outside the 43 large dormitories who may not be getting enough support from their employers. HealthServe launched a free virtual counselling clinic. To support the migrant workers’ emotional well-being, the sessions are conducted in the vernacular languages by volunteer counsellors, psychiatrists, social workers and interpreters. Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad now holds weekly engagements with these partners to coordinate efforts while protecting the health and safety of the volunteers. Mr Speaker, in the past few weeks, there have been many views shared from all quarters. On such occasions, it is refreshing to hear what the migrant workers themselves say. Yes, there were initial problems with food. Yes, it is hard to be cooped up in the rooms. Yes, they miss their families and want to go home.”
“Likewise, when you have a large number of people living together, in a communal setting, there is a very high likelihood of transmission. There was a significant spread for example on the US aircraft carrier, the Theodore Roosevelt, with 950 sailors getting infected within a few weeks. They were 20% of the crew. The virus respects no housing type, no nationality, no occupation. We will therefore need to re-look how everyone interacts with one another at home and at our workplaces. Even the way we socialise will have to change. We will need a focus on public education. So, the same for our migrant workers. But as Minister Lawrence Wong said earlier, we are still in the heat of battle. We must be focused on bringing the outbreak under control and work out how we can exit from the circuit breaker and resume normal activities safely. When this is over, we will reflect and thoroughly look into areas where we could have done better, so that we will be better prepared the next time. In conclusion, Mr Speaker, the last few months have been nothing short of extraordinary for the MOM team. Whether on the economic or health frontlines, it has been a real privilege to work with so many dedicated colleagues to tackle what our Prime Minister describes as "the challenge of this generation". Our tripartite partners have stepped up, and so have many employers and workers who are going out of their way to support one another. Many people take the time and trouble to send words of encouragement, including a hand-drawn card from a little girl, my resident in Bishan. The MOM team has also been very moved by the many offers of support for our vulnerable workers, including our migrant workers. The Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) set up the “Care Line” that operates 24/7.”
“This is one of those that have been built since FEDA was passed into law. This is a slightly older one, but as Members can see, it resembles some of our earlier HDB housing estates. When I visited Westlite Toh Guan, it really felt very much like that. This one has got ensuite facilities, meaning that company takes a room, the room comes with sleeping areas but also their own kitchen, their own toilet facilities. Next one, this what some of them look like inside. It depends on the size of the room, how many can be allowed to be accommodated. The next one, this is S11 where we have the highest number of infected workers so far. This is what a typical room looks like. I would say the size of the room, if you consider a badminton court, halve it and add maybe about 20% of circulation space, that is what you get. The next one, one of the dormitories has got a supermarket which the migrant workers can use to buy the food they wish to cook. The next slide shows – this is before safe distancing – what a gym might look like in the bigger dormitories. So, these are the newer ones. We will see how standards can be further raised. But, keep in mind that there are also older dormitories, which perhaps, have not quite reached these standards yet. What changes will be effective in reducing the transmission risks? Will these changes require different space provisions and technical standards or stronger regulatory levers that Mr Louis Ng has asked about? Inevitably, in any sort of environment where people gather in groups, there could be significant transmission. For example, the two places where there are substantial transmissions are homes and workplaces.”
“For offences under FEDA, dormitory operators can be fined up to $50,000 and/or jailed up to 12 months. Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, employers can also be fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed up to 12 months. Other than enforcement, MOM proactively engages workers, employers and dorm operators. We conduct roadshows at the dormitories to hear from the workers themselves on improvements they would like to see. We survey the workers. About nine in 10 say they are satisfied working in Singapore and would recommend their friends or family to come here. Still, we educate the workers on what is acceptable accommodation and encourage them to alert MOM if they see something is not right. We also involve the community. For example, MOM started a "Colour my Dorm" programme about two years ago. A wall mural at Kian Teck dormitory was painted by youths as a gift to the residents. Housing standards for our migrant workers have progressed over the years. Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to show some photographs of what the newer dormitories look like.”
“In fact, the Government reviewed these plans with the dormitory operators at the end of last year and conducted a table top exercise – what do you do if you have an outbreak? But no one was quite thinking of something of the scale of COVID-19. In early February, MOM asked all FEDA-licensed dormitories to each put aside at least 10 quarantine rooms. Those were the rooms that Minister Lawrence Wong and I went to inspect. Today, in dormitories with few infected workers, this provision has helped us to quickly isolate the close contacts. Those who are infected, of course, are removed as soon as we can. But the close contacts, you can isolate them and keep them for a while. Ms Anthea Ong asked about smaller accommodation types. Though not covered by the FEDA, they must still comply with a whole range of regulations. These include BCA's standards for building structural safety, SCDF's Fire Safety Code and NEA's rules on sanitary facilities. To questions by Mr Png Eng Huat and Assoc Prof Walter Theseira, regulatory agencies all conduct inspections. MOM alone has about 100 dormitory inspectors, full-time, who work under the supervision of the Commissioner for Foreign Employee Dormitories, two Deputy Commissioners and eight Assistant Commissioners. Last year, these officers conducted 1,200 inspections and 3,000 investigations across all housing types. There will be many more when other agencies are included. Every year, MOM alone takes an average of 1,200 employers to task for unacceptable accommodation under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and about 20 operators for breach of FEDA licence conditions. Where lapses are found, dormitory operators must rectify them immediately.”
“" Well, it is to be with his friends, cook a meal that he would liked, practise his religious belief. These dormitories were therefore designed for communal living. To enable workers to live close to where they work and reduce the need to travel, the Government allowed some factories to convert part of their space for dormitory housing, subject to standards being met. Today, there are about 200,000 workers housed in the 43 large dormitories and about 95,000 housed in 1,200 FCDs. Most of these workers are from the Construction, Marine and Process sectors. We have 20,000 workers housed in Construction Temporary Quarters (CTQs). Another 85,000 Work Permit and S Pass holders from the Construction sector live in HDB flats, private residential properties and other premises. Landlords must meet requirements and can be investigated for breaches. The Government also set aside land to build recreation centres for migrant workers, where they can access supermarkets, remittance services and sports fields. Today, there are eight recreation centres located in areas where there are more dormitories. Over the years, we have taken steps to raise the housing standards of our migrant workers. A key milestone was the enactment of the Foreign Employee Dormitory Act (FEDA) in 2015. The FEDA imposes higher standards on dormitories that accommodate 1,000 or more workers. For example, licensed operators were required to provide common recreational facilities like TV rooms, gyms as well as provide access to amenities like mini-marts and WIFI in common areas. They are also required to have health facilities like sickbays or isolation rooms and draw up contingency plans for quarantine arrangements. MOM officers regularly inspect licensed dormitories to ensure compliance.”
“The Task Force did not forget to bring some cheer to the dormitories when some of the workers marked their New Year. It worked with the Hindu Endowment Board and community groups to share sweet treats, for example. We are now in the middle of Ramadan. With the help of the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), special arrangements were made for the Muslim workers to get their sahur, or pre-dawn meals, at 3 am, which means that the caterers also has to be preparing the food, well, around midnight and to get it delivered. Over 1.5 tonnes of dates had been distributed. In every phase, the situation has demanded a scale and speed of response that is unprecedented. The task force is keenly aware of its mission. They know it is critical to get things right and to do it with heart. We will fulfil our commitment to the workers and pave the way for work and business to resume safely when conditions allow. Let us give the Task Force our full support. Mr Speaker, some Members want to know MOM's plans to deal with the housing standards of our migrant workers. A bit of historical background is useful here. During the 1970s to early 1990s, most migrant workers in the construction industry came from Thailand and Malaysia. Most of them rented HDB flats or private residential properties. In the early 1990s, many more construction workers came from China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and India. To support their housing needs, the Government allocated land for companies to build self-contained dormitories with recreational amenities for their workers. Building and Construction Authority (BCA), HDB and Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) tendered out these sites. One important consideration was, "what would a migrant worker want at the end of the work day, if he cannot be with his family?”
“Mr Speaker, in spite of the current challenges, we must now get ready for the third phase where it is about getting the recovery right. This involves building up community recovery facilities (CRFs) and housing recovered workers in suitable accommodation to minimise the risks of recurrent transmissions. We must work out a way to allow recovered and uninfected workers to go back to work safely. This will again be an enormous challenge and not just the logistics of it. Many workers will be re-housed and have to get used to new friends and habits, as Mis Cheng Li Hui alludes to. Many employers will have to adjust to their workers being in different locations with new arrangements. We will have to develop new strategies to monitor the health of the workers. For example, we plan to issue pulse oximeters and require the workers to take readings regularly. We will also have to plan for a more sustainable medical support operation. With telemedicine, we can still attend to unwell workers promptly. The Task Force is focused on getting its job done. Altogether, they are looking after about 400,000 migrant workers, bigger than the size of two Ang Mo Kio GRCs. It is just mind-boggling when you think about it. For those on the ground, there are no ready-made solutions. Many officers simply roll up their sleeves, work with the stakeholders to improvise. One such officer is Muhammad Hafiz Ibrahim. A Factory-Converted Dormitory (FCD) operator spoke to Hafiz and said he urgently needed to add extra toilets in a dormitory in order to effectively segregate the usage. It was near impossible to get new ones built anytime soon. Hafiz thought to himself what could be done and promptly sourced for suppliers of portable toilets, bringing much relief to the dorm operator and residents.”
“If any worker was unwell, they got the same care as any Singaporean would. The worker from Bangladesh who was transferred to a general ward after spending two months in ICU shows the extent of care. Furthermore, the cost of all tests and treatment is borne by the Government. Members of Parliament like Mr Liang Eng Hwa are naturally keen to know if these measures are working. The situation within the 43 large dormitories is largely stable now. The picture among the thousand-plus factory-converted dormitories and construction temporary quarters is much more mixed and taking up much bandwidth. In many dormitories, there are active case-finding and swab exercises so that we can isolate and treat infected workers and break transmissions. Most of the workers are well and those tested positive are on the path to recovery. The full results of these efforts will, however, take time to show. Outside of the dormitories, we identified another concern. Infection among workers in the construction sector was noticeably higher than the general community and has not tapered off. Supported by the health assessment of our MOH colleagues, MOM and BCA decided we needed to take further precaution and act quickly. We required all work permit holders and S Pass holders in the construction sector and their dependants to be placed on mandatory Stay-Home Notices. Excluding the workers already in dormitories, this requirement put another 100,000 workers out of circulation. While they may not be infectious, it is safer to minimise their interactions with each other and the broader community. To decisively break the cycle of transmission, the SHN was extended from the initial two weeks to four weeks in total.”
“They coordinate schedules for workers to use toilets so as to prevent mixing, make sure the dormitories are kept clean and attend to workers' feedback and requests, such as getting paid and money remittances. More than 10,000 workers in essential services were moved out and progressively tested so they can continue to work safely. Workers from dormitories that had been gazetted as isolation areas were not moved as they would pose a higher risk of infecting others. We then stopped further movements in and out of the dormitories to prevent cross-infections in both directions. In addition, we provided WiFi access and distributed nearly 300,000 SIM cards so the workers can keep in touch with family and friends. In the second phase, it was about getting the medical operations right. The medical support plan was fully fleshed out, the infrastructure and personnel steadily built up. The Regional Healthcare Systems deployed teams of doctors, nurses and technicians to each of the 43 large dormitories. They tend to workers who are unwell, swab those who have shown acute respiratory symptoms, manage the cases that need to be sent to other facilities and assess if the workers are well enough to return to their rooms. They work with the FAST teams to set up on-site isolation facilities and organise safe conveyance from one location to another. We have also set up four medical posts at the Tuas South, Kranji, Woodlands and Kaki Bukit migrant worker recreation centres to cover the larger factory-converted dormitories (FCDs) and construction temporary quarters (CTQs). For workers in the smaller FCDs and CTQs, we brought in the private healthcare groups as well as the nationwide network of Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs) and Polyclinics.”
“Including the private sector recruits that supplement our efforts, nearly 3,000 staff are now deployed to look after the health and well-being of our migrant workers. Every day, we are joined by thousands of volunteers, especially those from the Migrant Workers' Centre. Multiple channels of transmission among migrant workers, as appear to be the case, also means that we have to deploy a multi-faceted approach to dealing with the outbreak. A focus on rooming arrangements on their own may not prevent a recurrence. This consideration underpins the comprehensive approach of the Task Force. About three weeks ago, I explained their three-pronged strategy. First, contain the spread of the virus in the dormitories where clusters have formed; second, prevent spread in those with no clusters; and third, move out and test all workers who are still needed for essential work. I had also explained the three key enablers to implement these strategies effectively: (a) the Forward Assurance Support Teams (FAST); (b) a medical support plan that is holistic; and (c) roping in dormitory operators and employers to improve hygiene and provide necessities. The task force has gone about its work professionally, with a clear focus on the workers' well-being. In the first phase, it was about getting the basics right. This was already an enormous undertaking and there were certainly hiccups along the way. Nearly 200 FAST teams are now deployed and they have helped greatly. Among the safe distancing measures introduced, we had to stop communal cooking. Officers then worked round the clock to ensure that meals suitable for the varied diets were delivered in a timely manner. More than 10 million catered meals have been served.”
“Thereafter, there was no indication of higher prevalence of COVID-19 amongst the migrant workers, compared to the general community. Like Mr Ang Wei Neng and Assoc Prof Walter Theseira, we are very keen to understand how the virus later spread among migrant workers. The epidemiological studies provide some preliminary clues. Within the dormitories that have clusters, not all blocks or rooms are equally affected. Across different dormitories, infected workers were linked through common work sites. At work sites, it was not uncommon for the infected workers to take breaks together, share food and utensils. Likewise, infected workers from different dormitories had gathered during their rest days to socialise and shop, for example, at Mustafa. Back in the dormitories, workers spent time with their friends, cooking, eating and relaxing together. The virus may have spread through all of these activities, much like how it spread among family members, religious groups and even colleagues. One recent finding is that most of the infected workers have mild symptoms, likely because they tend to be young. When asked if they are unwell, even after testing positive, some workers say they feel fine. Many were uncovered only because of active case-finding or swab exercises. This may explain why, up to the middle of March, the cases of workers at the dormitories testing positive were few and far between. Once evidence emerged that the virus had spread in the dormitories, we decided to deal with it squarely and quickly and mobilised the whole-of-Government resources. An Inter-agency Task Force was set up, comprising officers from MOM, SAF, Home Team, MOH, MCI, MND – many agencies.”