COVID-19: 250 Indians test positive in Singapore, nearly half stayed in dorms

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 1,910 in Singapore, the Indian High Commission announced on Friday (April 10) that about 250 Indians have tested positive for the coronavirus in the country. Of the infected Indians, nearly half had been staying in dormitories for foreign workers.

Indian High Commissioner Jawed Ashraf said that almost all the Indians who had the disease are either stable or improving. He said they included some permanent residents too. The first cases from the dormitories were reported on March 29, said Ashraf, adding that the number of infections has climbed to 460, of which about 200 were confirmed on April 9.

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As the country has ramped up aggressive testing in the dormitories, the numbers are expected to climb in the next few days, said Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the COVID-19 task force.

“But we do have a comprehensive strategy and measures are in place, and the agencies are now working round the clock to execute and implement them,” The Straits Times quoted the minister as saying. Noting that foreign workers will still be providing public services such as cleaning, Wong urged people not to be prejudiced against them.

“It’s not because of a foreign worker being inherently of higher risk — the risk of infection for the rest of us in the population is the same, regardless of nationality, regardless of race,” he said.