As MOM has cleared all dormitories[1] on 11 Aug, the next step is to work towards allowing dormitory residents to leave for leisure and personal errands, while keeping them safe from Covid-19.  MOM recognises that such social activity is important for the mental well-being of the residents.  The eventual goal is to allow residents from cleared dorms to enjoy their rest days without movement restrictions.   

2. We will move towards this goal in a measured way because we need to ensure that the residents and the broader community are kept safe and healthy.  We also bear in mind the lessons learnt from other countries’ reopenings that led to new waves of Covid-19 infection. To this end, MOM has engaged employers, NGOs, Dormitory Operators and Recreation Centre operators to coordinate this important undertaking.

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3. MOM will start small-scale trials this month for residents from selected cleared dormitories to visit Recreation Centres on their rest days for personal errands such as buying groceries, SIM cards and remitting money. 

4. To reduce crowding outside the dormitories on rest days, residents’ exits will be spread out across each day.  This will be done by residents needing to apply for a Dormitory Exit Pass through their SGWorkPass app, which will provide a specific exit timeslot.  Residents in participating dormitories that meet all the following criteria will be granted an Exit Pass:

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• Has recovered from Covid-19, or has a negative swab test result within 14 days prior to the exit date;

• Not be on Quarantine Order or Stay Home Notice;

• Is staying in a cleared dormitory;

• Has installed and registered TraceTogether; and

• Chooses an Exit Pass timeslot with available vacancies.

5. The trials will allow us to refine the Exit Pass arrangements so as to progressively ramp up the number of participating dormitories over the next two months.  Details of the eventual Exit Pass arrangements will be announced in due course.  We aim to have all dormitory residents able to apply for Exit Passes to visit Recreation Centres in October 2020.  The limits on exit duration and destinations will be reviewed after October 2020, taking into account Covid-19 transmission trends then.

6. BCA, EDB and ESG, with the support of industry associations, have also announced measures to stagger the rest days of their workers so as to help reduce crowding.  We also welcome community and NGO efforts to expand programmes and initiatives in the dormitories so that there are more options for the residents during their rest day.

7. We appreciate workers' and employers’ co-operation over these last 4 months and understand their anxieties.  We seek the cooperation of all stakeholders to ensure that dormitory residents can eventually enjoy their rest day safely.

Issued by:

Ministry of Manpower

Association of Singapore Marine Industries (ASMI)

Association of Process Industry (ASPRI) 

Dormitory Association of Singapore Limited (DASL)

Singapore Contractors Association Limited (SCAL)

Alliance of Guest Workers’ Outreach (AGWO, an initiative of Hope Initiative Alliance)

Crisis Relief Alliance (CRA)

Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME)

ItsRainingRaincoats (IRR)

Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC)

Sama Sama

Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) 

12 Aug 2020

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[1] A dormitory is “cleared” when all its residents have either recovered from, or have been tested to be free from Covid-19.  New infections can still occur.  If our monitoring picks up potential infections, all at-risk residents will be quickly isolated and quarantined as a precautionary measure.