Singapore, 10 March 2021 – As more migrant workers enter Singapore to meet the needs of the economy, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will continue to improve on the end-to-end screening processes. This is to ensure that the risk of imported COVID-positive cases transmitting into the community is well mitigated and minimised. This will also help new workers to settle in better.
From 15 March 2021, all newly-arrived migrant workers from the Construction, Marine and Process (CMP) sectors from higher-risk countries/regions will complete:
- Regular stay-home notice (SHN)
- Additional seven-day SHN testing regime
- Medical examination and settling-in programme (SIP) at a one-stop pilot Migrant Worker Onboarding Centre (MWOC)
Today, newly arrived CMP migrant workers need to serve a 14-day SHN at hotels before they move to a designated facility for the additional seven-day SHN. Once they complete serving their SHN requirements, they can leave the designated facilities and go through their medical examination and SIP.
From 15 March 2021, workers will only serve SHN for a few days at hotels while awaiting the results of their on-arrival tests. Workers who clear these tests will then proceed to the MWOC to serve their remaining quarantine period and complete their end-to-end onboarding process, such as medical examination and residential SIP, all under one roof. The MWOC will be piloted at five dedicated Quick Build Dormitories (QBD)—Punggol, Eunos, Choa Chu Kang and two others at Tengah.
The onboarding process comprises two key components, namely enhanced medical examination and residential SIP. The enhanced medical examination includes detailed record taking of medical history as well as screening for chronic diseases for older workers or those with health risk factors. This will enable early identification of health risks and aid effective downstream patient care.
The residential SIP is an expansion of today’s SIP, which is conducted by the Migrant Workers’ Centre. Apart from learning about their employment rights and Singapore’s social norms, it also serves to inculcate appropriate health-seeking behaviour, good hygiene habits, good dormitory living and worksite practices.
The MWOC brings together various entry processes as one efficient, integrated and seamless end-to-end process. For employers, this means greater convenience. For workers, they will be able to start their employment in Singapore on the right footing. As the MWOC is a pilot, measures and processes will be adjusted consistently to safeguard public health and benefit employers and workers.
– Construction+ Online
Source: MOM
