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New migrant-worker dorms in Singapore to be built to higher standards
Fri, Sep 17, 2021 – 5:41 PM UPDATED Fri, Sep 17, 2021 – 6:50 PM
Yong Jun Yuanjunyuany@sph.com.sg@JunYuanBT
The Singapore government has announced that all new migrant worker dormitories in the city-state will have to meet improved standards.
Two new purpose-built dormitories (PBDs) with a total of at least 12,500 beds were also announced, one in Kranji and the other, in Jalan Tukang in Jurong.
In a statement released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the Ministry of National Development (MND) and the Ministry of Health (MOH), the new standards were announced to strengthen resilience against future pandemics and enhance the liveability of these facilities.
The new standards require each room in a dormitory to house not more than 12 residents. There must also be at least one metre of space between beds and double-decker beds. Each resident should have at least 4.2 square metres of living space, up from the previous 3.5 square metres, excluding shared living facilities.
Wi-Fi will need to be provided in rooms for residents to communicate with friends and family. They were previously only required to be placed in common areas.
Each floor will be allowed to hold 240 residents, like before, but they must be able to be divided into self-contained sections of 120 residents each. This will necessitate change to the layout of communal facilities such as cooking, dining and laundry facilities.
Toilets will also need to be en-suite and have at least one exhaust fan, with a maximum of six residents sharing one bathroom and toilet sink.
An adequate number of fans should be placed to ensure sufficient air circulation in rooms; air-conditioners in rooms should have a filter of at least MERV14 rating to reduce transmission risks.
Dormitory operators will need to provide 10 isolation beds per 1,000 bed spaces under normal circumstances, and be prepared to provide an additional 15 isolation beds per 1,000 bed spaces during pandemics. They will also need to facilitate wastewater surveillance of the dormitories.
These new standards will apply to all new dormitories, including PBDs, factory-converted dormitories, construction temporary quarters and temporary occupation licence quarters.
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