Migrant worker’s Covid-19 curiosity keeps colleagues infection-free

Mr Ganesan Muruganandam stands out among the 323,000 migrant workers in dormitories for his heroic efforts in saving his colleagues from the misery of the coronavirus infection.

While infection rates among migrant workers in dormitories soar, accounting for about 90 per cent of Singapore's confirmed cases as of Sunday (May 17), the company-owned dorm he shares with his colleagues has maintained a remarkable slate of zero infections, thanks to his early efforts.

When China reported its first few cases of Covid-19 last December, the workplace safety and health coordinator seized the initiative to stay updated with the latest news reports, Ministry of Manpower bulletins, and other reliable online sources that were reporting on the coronavirus.

"As a safety coordinator, I have to brief my workers and supervisors on the necessary precautions that they should take every day. So I had to figure out what was going on," explains the 32-year-old.

After some research, he recommended that the home improvement company he works at adopt safety measures such as daily temperature checks, safe distancing, wearing masks and encouraging good personal hygiene habits to prevent the spread of the virus.

The company acted on his advice as early as Jan 28. A representative from the company has confirmed that there have been zero infections among their workers to date.

On March 9, Mr Muruganandam and 75 colleagues were told to stop work and stay in their dormitories in Tagore Lane and Kaki Bukit.

They were among 180,000 foreign workers in the construction industry who had to serve a stay-home notice as part of tighter safety measures to stop the spread of infections.

While he continues to be vigilant about his safety and that of his fellow workers, he counts himself lucky in many ways. He says that his company has been providing three free meals daily and that health officials screen residents in the dormitory every two to three days.

The safety initiatives free him to focus on his main concern: His family's financial well-being in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Mr Muruganandam was just 21 when he made the gut-wrenching decision to leave his hometown to give his family a better life and future.

Eleven years later and he can still recall the day he hugged and kissed his parents, four siblings and friends goodbye and set off on his maiden trip to Singapore.

"Of course it was difficult," he says. "It was the first time leaving my family and leaving India."

Before leaving home, the secondary school graduate worked on his family's rice and cotton plantations for close to four years. Yet, he had always dreamed of making more money to change his family's fortunes.

In 2007, he enrolled at the Building and Construction Authority's overseas testing centre in Chennai in the hopes of securing a contract to work in Singapore. The centre, which is approved by the Singapore agency under the Ministry of National Development, provides training courses and guidance to those wishing to work here.

After completing his training, he was offered a year-long contract with a construction company in Singapore. The move to an entirely foreign country was exciting but also daunting. Mr Muruganandam had no experience in construction.

"It was very difficult at first; my body was not used to it," he says.

He worked eight-hour days, six days a week, starting as a construction worker. It was hard work but he persevered because he was making more money than he would back home.

Mr Muruganandam, who declined to provide actual figures, earns almost twice as much as he would in India. He says he has also had more opportunities to upgrade his skills over the years.

"I missed my family...a lot. But after working here for a while, I got used to the conditions," he says.

Mr Muruganandam has been working with a home improvement company for the past four years and is responsible for the safety of his colleagues.

To save money, he only returns home once a year to see his wife and two children. And while he was lucky enough to be around for the birth of his two children, the first in 2017 and second last November, he admits that being apart from family for long stretches of time never gets any less painful.

How does he stay in contact with his family? He calls them, sometimes up to six times a day.

To support his loved ones from afar, he turns to Singtel Dash. The mobile wallet enables users in Singapore to remit money to seven countries in the region: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines.

One of the key benefits of the mobile application, which customers from all telcos can download for free on their smartphones, is that it allows users to send money home conveniently, without having to queue at a physical remittance outlet.

Mr Muruganandam says he learnt about Dash at a Singtel roadshow in Little India in 2016. Since then, he has been using the app to send money to his family in India twice a month.

With Singtel Dash, Mr Muruganandam has been able to support his family back home despite having been confined to his dormitory during the stay-home notice.

He is also able to top up his bank account in India and pay for bills and loans with the app from his dormitory.

"I even pay for my wife's mobile phone bills while she is in India and I'm in Singapore with my Dash wallet!" he chuckles.

With Singtel Dash, users in Singapore can easily top up their own Singtel prepaid SIM cards as well as selected overseas prepaid cards.

He adds that he prefers using Dash to other remittance services as it offers competitive fees and exchange rates; every dollar and cent he saves on those fees go into the cash pool he sends to his family monthly.

Dash has proved helpful to his fellow colleagues too. The tech-savvy construction worker recommended the mobile wallet to more than 20 friends, and feels that the convenience it offers is "invaluable" as it enables foreign workers to continue supporting their families during an unforeseen crisis like this.

Mr Gilbert Chuah, head of Mobile Financial Services at Singtel's International Group, says that digital services like Dash have become "much more critical for consumers and businesses as they provide a safe alternative to many everyday tasks that take people out of their homes".

Adding that many foreign workers here are sole breadwinners in their families, he says he is glad that Dash is able to relieve some of the burden they face in these challenging circumstances.

Singtel Dash lets users remit money from their mobile phones without the need to leave home or queue at remittance outlets.

How it works:

Step 1: Users top up their Dash wallets with a local online bank account, or with cash at 7-Eleven stores and Singtel shops.
Step 2: Users can then remit money from their Dash wallet to bank accounts, mobile wallets and cash pick-up points in their home countries.

At present, Dash offers mobile remittance services to seven countries in the region: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines. Dash customers can also make online and in-store payments for goods and services globally.

Users can also make peer-to-peer transfers between Dash wallets, allowing employers to easily send money to their employees.

Singtel has introduced new initiatives on Dash to help those who wish to remit money.

​* Complimentary remittance and cashback valid till 1 June 2020. ^ Free insurance is valid till 31 May 2020 and is protected up to specified limits by SDIC. Underwritten and issued by NTUC Income. T&Cs apply. Visit dash.com.sg/remit for info.