After Early Praise, Virus Cases Rise in Singapore
2020-05-07
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1Singapore has been praised for limiting the spread of the coronavirus.
2But infections have risen recently among migrant workers.
3The city-state now has the most infections in Southeast Asia.
4As a result, Singapore is bringing back some restrictions.
5Singapore's Ministry of Health said that, as of Monday, about 87 percent of reported cases are workers living in dorms.
6These kinds of housing can have up to 20 people living in one room.
7Singapore is known for having a high number of foreign workers who come from Britain and other places to work in business or banking.
8But many foreign laborers come as well.
9They include Philippine cleaners and Bangladeshi building laborers.
10Migrant workers are part of Singapore's two-track economy of both high-paying technology jobs and low-paying labor jobs.
11The activist group Transient Workers Count Too said it has been warning that crowding among migrants presented a risk of viral spread.
12Alex Au is the group's vice president.
13He said, "There's no denying now that density and poor ventilation in our dorms" helps spread disease.
14But he said that is only part of the problem.
15Au said Singapore is too dependent on low-cost labor.
16Migrant workers there are getting attention now because they make up a large majority of Singapore's COVID-19 cases.
17Before the large increase in infections, experts had praised Singapore for its strong actions to limit the spread of the disease.
18Experts said measures such as fast treatment for patients, following contacts of people who could carry the disease and travel restrictions were successful.
19Travel restrictions, however, could not prevent the spread of COVID-19 within Singapore.
20Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the disease was "hidden" as it spread largely among laborers.
21New cases have increased in the past three weeks after being comparatively low before then.
22HOME is a non-profit organization in Singapore aimed at helping workers.
23The group said in a statement: "The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that migrant workers are indispensable" to the operation of the country.
24Singapore's Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said there is "no question" that Singapore should improve conditions in the dorms.
25Teo's ministry is helping with providing food and supervising workers at the dorms.
26But she said Singapore must deal with the virus emergency before it can deal with workers' living conditions over the long term.
27The Health Ministry said it is increasing testing for the virus in the dorms.
28It is also following possible carriers, a method known as contact tracing.
29Health Minister Gan Kim Yong spoke Monday about the new measures.
30He said Singapore had increased health care workers and expanded medical centers in preparation for more cases.
31Officials are especially concerned about what are called "unlinked" cases.
32For these cases, it is unclear how the virus spread from one person to the next.
33Labor activist Au said he hopes the health crisis will bring attention to important labor issues like high payments to recruiters and unpaid work for migrants.
34Au said labor unfairness is a "structural problem" that opens the country to many other problems.
35He added, "It's hard to predict where the next crisis might come from."
36I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Singapore has been praised for limiting the spread of the coronavirus. But infections have risen recently among migrant workers. 2The city-state now has the most infections in Southeast Asia. As a result, Singapore is bringing back some restrictions. 3Singapore's Ministry of Health said that, as of Monday, about 87 percent of reported cases are workers living in dorms. These kinds of housing can have up to 20 people living in one room. 4Singapore is known for having a high number of foreign workers who come from Britain and other places to work in business or banking. But many foreign laborers come as well. They include Philippine cleaners and Bangladeshi building laborers. 5Migrant workers are part of Singapore's two-track economy of both high-paying technology jobs and low-paying labor jobs. 6The activist group Transient Workers Count Too said it has been warning that crowding among migrants presented a risk of viral spread. Alex Au is the group's vice president. He said, "There's no denying now that density and poor ventilation in our dorms" helps spread disease. 7But he said that is only part of the problem. 8Au said Singapore is too dependent on low-cost labor. Migrant workers there are getting attention now because they make up a large majority of Singapore's COVID-19 cases. 9Before the large increase in infections, experts had praised Singapore for its strong actions to limit the spread of the disease. Experts said measures such as fast treatment for patients, following contacts of people who could carry the disease and travel restrictions were successful. 10Travel restrictions, however, could not prevent the spread of COVID-19 within Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the disease was "hidden" as it spread largely among laborers. New cases have increased in the past three weeks after being comparatively low before then. 11HOME is a non-profit organization in Singapore aimed at helping workers. The group said in a statement: "The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that migrant workers are indispensable" to the operation of the country. 12Singapore's Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said there is "no question" that Singapore should improve conditions in the dorms. 13Teo's ministry is helping with providing food and supervising workers at the dorms. But she said Singapore must deal with the virus emergency before it can deal with workers' living conditions over the long term. 14The Health Ministry said it is increasing testing for the virus in the dorms. It is also following possible carriers, a method known as contact tracing. 15Health Minister Gan Kim Yong spoke Monday about the new measures. He said Singapore had increased health care workers and expanded medical centers in preparation for more cases. 16Officials are especially concerned about what are called "unlinked" cases. For these cases, it is unclear how the virus spread from one person to the next. 17Labor activist Au said he hopes the health crisis will bring attention to important labor issues like high payments to recruiters and unpaid work for migrants. 18Au said labor unfairness is a "structural problem" that opens the country to many other problems. He added, "It's hard to predict where the next crisis might come from." 19I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 20VOANEWS reported this story. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 21_________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23dorm(itories) -n. a building on the grounds of a school or similar organization with rooms where people can live 24density -n. have a lot of people living in a small place 25ventilation -n. the quality of how much air can pass through a room, building, vehicle or structure 26reservoir -n. an extra supply of something 27recruiters-n. someone who gets others to join a company or organization