Singaporeans and foreigner permanent residents have expressed fear of the Wuhan virus transmission worsening as the Singapore government continue to import 30,000 China workers into the country.
Most locals distrusts the Singapore government’s capabilities to control the Wuhan virus outbreak, after reports of China workers breaching Leave of Absence (LOA) orders surfaced.
Unlike Singaporeans who face severe penalties, foreigner offenders will not be jailed or fined – forming a lesser deterrence for the breaching of LOA. China nationals are also perceived to be less law-abiding as compared with Singaporeans, raising the risk of infection in public.
In an update yesterday (Feb 24), the Ministry of Manpower has also ramped up the daily approval of China workers by 10% from 200 to 220.
A total of 30,000 China workers on work permit are eligible to enter Singapore, and employers only need to provide temporary quarantine housing, referred to by the government, to serve their 14 days self-quarantine orders.
The divisional director of MOM, Penny Han, advised employers to observe the process to avoid getting their applications rejected. 11 China workers have been banned, after they arrived in Singapore without informing the government. 14 China workers were found breaching the LOA orders, with only 10 banned.