Foreign workers who have recovered from Covid-19 have started moving onto the cruise ship SuperStar Gemini, one of several temporary options before more permanent arrangements can be made to house them.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said in a Facebook post yesterday that the first workers boarded the ship on Wednesday from Marina Bay Cruise Centre.
There are en suite toilets, in-cabin dining and strict infection control and safe distancing measures aboard the ship, as well as Wi-Fi, in-cabin entertainment and scheduled outdoor time.
"Fresh air is piped into the ship, and no air will be recirculated between cabins and common areas," STB added. "These are part of the Government's efforts to transfer workers to alternative living areas to reduce the spread of the virus within their dormitories."
Another cruise ship, the SuperStar Aquarius, has also passed evaluation checks and is ready to receive more workers.
STB had said last month that the Government was studying the feasibility of using these two mid-sized cruise ships as temporary accommodation for foreign workers who have recovered from Covid-19 and tested negative for the virus.
This is a way to further manage the coronavirus transmissions and to allow health measures to be implemented more effectively in existing dormitories by reducing the number of workers there, STB said.
The two cruise ships can complement other interim facilities such as Singapore Armed Forces military camps and vacant Housing Board blocks, it said.
At a virtual press conference yesterday, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said cruise ships and sports halls are some examples of short-term housing measures for foreign workers.
Beyond that, there are plans to build new dormitories to house some of these healthy and recovered workers, he said.
These include "quick dormitory solutions" that may not be permanent but good for a few years, and more permanent structures for the longer term.
The planning, however, goes beyond just living arrangements, Mr Wong said.
"If we talk about resuming activities, for example, construction activities, and resuming them safely, then we also have to think about processes in the construction worksites.
"We have to think about arrangements for the workers during their days off, where they go about congregating and how to minimise such congregations.
"So it's in fact a whole range of protocols and measures going well beyond housing that have to be put in place to allow for activities to be resumed safely."
Genting Cruise Lines, which runs both ships, said yesterday that it has implemented "stringent precautionary measures, including the highest standards of preventive hygiene, sanitisation and disinfection procedures to safeguard the well-being of all guests and crew".
"As such, there have been no reported cases of Covid-19 among guests or crew to date while on board or transmitted via any of the cruise ships," said Mr Michael Goh, president of Dream Cruises and head of international sales at Genting Cruise Lines.
The company added: "Together with the Singapore Government at the forefront, every effort will be made to uphold the health and welfare of Singapore's foreign workers while on board the ship, which includes observing the highest standards of safe distancing and preventive measures at all times."
