Virus Surge in Southeast Asia Migrant Workers Serves as Warning
- Singapore’s second wave triggered about-turn on virus strategy
- Vulnerable groups can fall through cracks in government plans
A healthcare worker collects a nasal swab sample from a migrant worker for testing for Covid-19 at a foreign workers' domitory in Singapore on April 27.
Photographer: Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images
Virus flareups among migrant workers are fueling a second wave of infections in Southeast Asia, forcing governments to shift direction to contain resurgent outbreaks, and serving as a warning to other countries looking to ease restrictions as cases ease.
Singapore and Thailand have been caught out by infections among foreign workers, who come from other parts of the region to work on building sites, in low-wage industries and as domestic labor. The countries are now scaling up testing of these communities, with the cramped dormitory-style or temporary accommodation they’re often housed in leaving them vulnerable to infection from the highly contagious coronavirus.