A total of 13 of the 43 purpose-built dormitories in Singapore have been gazetted by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) as isolation areas, as of Apr. 17.
People at these isolation areas, including workers and operators, cannot leave the dormitories, with measures taken to reduce interactions between individuals living there.
According to the Ministry of Health's (MOH) situation report on Apr. 16, there were 22 clusters linked to dormitories, with a total of 2,689 cases of Covid-19 amongst workers who were residing in dormitories.
On Apr. 17, three new dormitory clusters and 558 cases of worker permit holders living in dormitories were announced, bringing the total number of clusters linked to dormitories to 25, and the total number of Covid-19 cases of workers living in dormitories to 3,247.
But we wanted to hear from the men living there now, living under lockdown. So we spoke over video calls with two migrant workers from Bangladesh — Shahin and Salim — who are currently living out their isolation at Cochrane Lodge II in Woodlands.
This is Salim.
And this is Shahin.
Cochrane Lodge II, which has a capacity of 4,000 workers, is currently home to a cluster of some 54 cases as of Apr. 17.
Cochrane Lodge II under isolation
Salim, a 37-year-old project supervisor who has been working in Singapore for about 15 years, explains that under isolation, he and the other workers living in the dormitory are not allowed to go down to the first floor, nor to other floors or other rooms.
"Every morning, I go to exercise to outside, the outside the roadside and nearest the park. So I exercise.
But suddenly today morning (Apr. 13), I cannot go out, because our dormitory is the isolation already."
Adjusting to life in isolation is tough, 35-year-old Shahin tells us:
"Because before isolation, I can go out, and then I can, say, meet with my friend, we can talk each other. Sharing my mind, what is going on. We can take fresh air outside."
The two also noticed an increase in government and police presence at the dormitory, there to enforce the new lockdown measures.
Salim says he constantly sees police officers patrolling the first floor:
"So now, these dormitory are controlling by government, and I seen many of people — police — is here. All the controlling by police."
Isolation very difficult, but necessary
But these increased measures do not mean the workers are able to isolate themselves from one another.
There are 12 people living in his room, says Salim, which is worrying.
"Same time we are bored, same time we're scared, because 12 person in one room is definitely is not safe," he says.
Within the room, they try to maintain a safe distance from one another, but it is tough given the number of people living together in a small space.
Shahin, who has been working in Singapore for 12 years, says that his 12-person room currently only has seven people living there, as a number of them have gone home for home leave.
But while the isolation period is not easy, both Shahin and Salim recognise that it is important.
Salim explains:
"Definitely this isolation time this period is very difficult for us to stay [inside].
But we need to stay [inside] also because government announced the Covid-19 is [spread when] people go around this one, go to people to people.
So, we know it's very hard to stay in the isolation times, to stay at home, but we need to stay."
"These 14 days we know is a very difficult for us to stay at home but better to stay at home for save our life, safe to society, safe to others friends," he adds.
Thankfully, Shahin notes, the dormitory has introduced scheduled recreation times for the residents.
Workers are allocated specific time slots to go to the first floor and the supermarket within the dormitory campus.
If anyone doesn't follow the assigned timings, Shahin says, they face consequences from the management.
Despite this small freedom, he explains that there aren't many people who visit the supermarket, "because everybody also is be alert for this Covid-19".
Food is "okay, but not so nice"
Prior to the outbreak, many workers cooked their own meals, but new measures and the lockdown eliminated this as an option.
Instead, many isolated dorm residents' meals have been provided by caterers engaged by the government. One person from each room is assigned to go down to collect the food for his roommates at mealtimes.
Photo courtesy of Salim.
Photo courtesy of Salim.
As for the quality of the food?
"Meals is, to me, is not bad," Salim tells us over video call on Apr. 14, the day after Cochrane Lodge II was locked down.
They even included fruit, he adds.
Photo courtesy of Salim.
However, three days later, on Apr. 17, he tells us over text that the quality of the Bangladeshi food they are receiving is "very bad" and unhealthy:
Salim, [17 Apr 2020 at 2:39PM]:
Madam can help to write mom, or moh our bangla food quality very bad, we can't eat
Salim, [17 Apr 2020 at 2:40PM]:
Any how cook, Not healthy food
Us, [17 Apr 2020 at 4:21PM]:
Got tell to dorm management?
Salim, [17 Apr 2020 at 4:24PM]:
Already inform yesterday, Food distribution people, still same
Photo courtesy of Salim.
Photo courtesy of Salim.
Shahin also expresses some dissatisfaction with the food, and laughs, saying that although dinner has been good, "Afternoon [food]… it’s okay, but not so nice."
He adds, "But in this time, we cannot say, how ah? Because they are helping also. We have to understand also from their side, they need to cook lot of food."
But while the catered Bangladeshi food may leave much to be desired, Shahin is grateful for the provision of fruits: "We are really appreciate to them, they are give lot of fruits and food."
He laughs as he shows us the large stash of fruits that he and his roommates have been getting with their meals: "We cannot finish the fruits. Day by day it’s become more already now."
Image screen captured from video call with Shahin.
He also shows us laddu, a Indian sweet, which was given by the Inter-Agency Taskforce set up to manage the situation in dormitories, together with the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB), as treats to celebrate the Tamil and Bengali New Year on Apr. 14.
Image screen captured from video call with Shahin.
Both Salim and Shahin say that, to supplement the food from the caterers, they have resorted to buying snacks.
"We buy some dry food, like biscuit and puff, like chips, snacks. Some people buy ownself, if not enough then we eat like this lah," says Salim.
Shahin similarly explains, "We have our own food also, we are buying before. Some of the dried food, lah. So still we are okay, we managing ourself.”
Provided with a thermometer, masks, and hand sanitiser
All the workers in the dormitory were provided with a thermometer, two surgical masks, one reusable mask, and one bottle of hand sanitiser.
Shahin shows us his thermometer proudly: "We have our thermometers. It’s like this one. I also put it my bed here at all time. Once I feel something wrong, then I check myself."
Image screen captured from video call with Shahin.
As they are only provided with two surgical masks each, Salim tells us that he and his roommates bought more for themselves as well.
Under the current circumstances, where dozens of Covid-19 cases have been linked to the dormitory, the workers have been informed to report to a medical post if they feel unwell.
Shahin, who works as a workplace safety and health coordinator, tells us:
"And here, now, anybody got sick, then we need to inform dormitory management. Same time, got here MOM people also, we can inform them.
So they give us the necessary information — where we can go, where we can see doctor, all this and that."
Practicing good personal hygiene
There has been a narrative making its rounds on the internet, as articulated most recently by a forum letter published in Lianhe Zaobao, blaming the Covid-19 outbreak in dormitories on migrant workers' personal hygiene and "bad habits".
Salim tells us, though, that back when he and his roommates were all still working, the 12 of them would each take turns to clean the room every day.
This practice has intensified now that they are not working and are facing a bigger threat:
"Now, we have no job, then some virus, so we every day two times, three times also, we clean up.
We clean up just sweep the floor and mopping by a liquid soap, or some Dettol, or some sanitiser also."
He explains that he acquired the cleaning materials — a five-litre bottle of cleaning agent, liquid soap, and some more masks — from a friend who also lives in the dormitory, as they were not provided by the dormitory management.
His friend had received the items from an NGO, which he then shared with some of the others at the dormitory.
Shahin shares that he and his roommates pay more attention to the cleanliness of their surroundings now:
"We are be more particular for ourself to clean our room, even the door. These are the things we more particularly clean ourself lah."
He shows us the large bottle of hand sanitiser they keep near the door to their room, and explains:
"Once they go toilet, because toilet many people are using, so once we come back from toilet or take drinking water, still we wash our hand [with hand sanitiser]."
Image screen captured from video call with Shahin.
He also walks us around his room, pointing out the buckets and cleaning products they use to keep the room clean.
Image screen captured from video call with Shahin.
Image screen captured from video call with Shahin.
Reading, praying & calling family
Since they're not working or leaving the dorm, here's how their days have changed —
Salim tries to wake up around 5:30am each day to exercise in the corridor since he is no longer able to go downstairs and out to the park as he normally would.
No one else is usually up at that time, he says.
After exercising, he showers, eats breakfast, and studies either religious texts or history books. He also fills his days by calling his family and saying prayers.
Shahin's day sounds rather similar: he prays five times, reads books and the Quran, calls home to talk to his family and wife, and if he has extra time, exercises in the room.
He is very grateful to have WiFi, too:
"So if you are in the room, difficult to passing time. They [the government] make free WiFi for us. So this is one of the good for us to communicate with our family. Even sometimes we can see the Singapore update news also."
When Salim speaks with his family, he updates them on the situation and assures them that he is alright.
"I want to talk to my family, my parents, my friends [and tell them] don't worry about that. We are isolation, we are keep safe.
Only few days we have very difficult to stay at home, but we can say we are safe because isolation is a safe zone.
So after the isolation 14 days, we are come back no happen anything, so I can tell to my family is don't worry about that."
Shahin, on the other hand, is more worried about the Covid-19 situation back in Bangladesh.
"Our country also, in Bangladesh, they’re trying their best.
But I’m worry more in our country, for our family, other friends, or those not my friend also, doesn’t matter. We are worry about all of them.
Because some of the village is quite difficult to get very fast or medical services. So in this time, actually, we are very sad for them."
Grateful for support
Both Salim and Shahin emphasise their gratitude for the ways they have been supported thus far.
"Really, really, I thanks to Singapore government", says Shahin.
"I talk to our family [and tell them] do not worry about that, because Singapore government try much as possible to control these things. They [the government] give us foods, fruits, treatment, everything as well."
Salim shares his thoughts on the outpouring of community support they have received as well from the public and NGOs:
"I also understand that some of Singaporean or Singapore community also have helped to all the foreign workers — some foods, some time I see the surgical mask, whatever they will provide — by NGO. They go through by NGO, then give to them.
Actually Singaporean people also help us."
He also tells us that his manager has been supportive, checking in with him and assuring Salim that he can reach out to him for anything he might require.
Ultimately, the priority for both of them is to make it through this crisis.
Shahin says:
"Everybody need to be sacrifice or manage their self to be not angry, lah, in this period.
And we need to fight [against] this Covid-19. That’s why we need to be stay in our room better."
When we ask Salim whether he is worried about his job during this time, he explains, "Actually, now my priority is worry about this Covid-19. We can get the job, we can do the job. But most important for life."
And ultimately, doing their part to stay safe and healthy in fighting Covid-19 will allow them to finish their work here and go home safely to their families. Shahin says:
"We every day we talking our family, then we video call, talking our friends.
Just still we hoping we are come back, we are good health and go back to own country and see everybody."
Supporting the migrant workers under lockdown
You can hear directly from Salim and Shahin in our video interview with them here.
Learn also about how you can support the migrant worker community in this period here:
Stories of Us is a series about ordinary people in Singapore and the unique ways they’re living their lives. Be it breaking away from conventions, pursuing an atypical passion, or the struggles they are facing, these stories remind us both of our individual uniqueness and our collective humanity.
Top images screen captured from video call with Salim and Shahin, and from video courtesy of Salim. Quotes have been edited for clarity.