In response to States Times Review’s reports on filthy living conditions at foreign worker dormitories, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo pushed the blame to local employers for citing costs concerns:
“Each time the Ministry of Manpower attempts to raise the standard of living in these dormitories, I would face objections from employers due to the added costs that come with the move.”
The PAP millionaire minister promised that she will clean up the dormitories, only after the coronavirus infection:
“The standard of dormitories here should be raised. I will devote attention to the issue after the Covid-19 outbreak is over.”
Minister Josephine Teo also said Singaporeans should stop blaming the government for the widespread infection at dormitories because it is “demoralising”:
“Singaporeans should avoid finger-pointing at my team to avoid demoralising us so that we can focus on containing the transmission of Covid-19 in dormitories. Let us cross this important hurdle during this ‘circuit breaker’, and then we can deal with this issue in a dedicated way. You have my word.”
There are now over 115 foreign worker infections, with 6 dormitory clusters.