Coronavirus: Workers ferried in back of lorries must sit with 1m safe distance, say MOM, LTA

Labels or other methods should be used to mark out appropriate locations to sit, and these measures should be communicated to the workers and lorry drivers. PHOTO: ST READER

SINGAPORE - Safe distancing must be observed in lorries used to ferry workers involved in essential services, the authorities said on Friday (April 10).

In a joint advisory, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) and Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that in line with the new circuit breaker measures, employers and lorry owners should review the maximum seating capacity for each lorry.

This is to make sure workers can maintain a safe distance of 1m while they are seated at the back of the lorry.

Labels or other methods should be used to mark out appropriate locations to sit, the authorities said, adding that these measures should be communicated to the workers and lorry drivers.

"If necessary, employers should make provisions for additional trips or lorries," they said.

The statement comes after readers told The Straits Times of lorries overcrowded with foreign workers seen on the road.

Photos of such instances showed seven or more workers sitting in cramped conditions with little to no space between them.

An MOM spokesman said it will take action against employers who do not comply with the safe distancing requirements.

Dormitory operators also told ST that person-to-person interaction as workers commute back from other places to the dormitories has been a worry during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Calvin Lim, general manager of Capital Development which operates Toh Guan Dormitory, said: "One of the concerns has always been mode of transport. For example, there are chances of (workers) catching the virus on the way back from work.

"It helps if a company takes steps to transport workers in a way that minimises contact," he added.

Toh Guan Dormitory has 25 Covid-19 cases to date and has been declared an isolation area, which means its workers cannot leave their rooms for 14 days.

The number of foreign worker infections has risen sharply in recent days, with 202 of the record 287 cases confirmed on Thursday linked to dormitories that house them.

Ten dormitories, including five gazetted as isolation areas, are active clusters.

In their statement, the MOM and LTA said the measures are necessary to reduce the transmission of Covid-19 among workers.

"Employers and lorry owners are expected to comply with the above immediately until the end of the circuit breaker or when notified by the authorities," said the authorities.

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