Work pass revoked after man breaches circuit breaker measures
The authorities also issued 39 fines to work-pass holders from Friday for gathering in groups, engaging in exercise or activities
A work-pass holder has been stripped of his pass and permanently banned from working in Singapore for breaching circuit breaker measures, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) said yesterday.
Investigations showed that the man finished work on Thursday evening but did not return home immediately after finishing his meal, said MOM in a press release yesterday.
"He continued to loiter at various places for an extended period of time before returning to his place of residence on (Friday)," the ministry said.
"This is a blatant breach of circuit breaker measures," said MOM.
The authorities also issued 39 fines to work-pass holders from Friday to yesterday.
The fines were issued by various agencies including MOM, the Ministry for Environment and Water Resources and the National Parks Board.
MOM said the individuals were found to have gathered in groups, engaged in group exercise or were doing recreational activities such as frisbee or football with others who did not live in the same household.
The ministry added that if these workers are found to have breached circuit breaker measures again, it "will not hesitate" to revoke their work passes and the passes of their dependants.
Employers and their workers have a joint responsibility to abide by safe distancing rules during the circuit breaker, it said.
"Ignorance of the requirements is not an excuse and MOM will not hesitate to enforce against errant individuals," the ministry added.
Those who have information on work-pass holders or employers breaching circuit breaker measures can e-mail mom_qops@mom.gov.sg
As it carried out enforcement action over the weekend, the ministry also continued its efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus at dormitories, which have seen a rising number of cases and clusters of Covid-19.
Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said in a Facebook post that on Saturday she visited Sungei Tengah Lodge, one of seven foreign worker dormitories gazetted as isolation areas, which means residents there have to be quarantined in their rooms for 14 days.
Voluntary organisations have also been raising money and supplies, with advocacy groups calling for more action to help workers.
The Migrant Workers' Centre said it has distributed 200,000 reusable masks and has started packaging 350,000 bottles of hand sanitiser for migrant workers in dormitories.
The Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) said on Facebook that it raised more than $80,000 in three days to help migrant workers affected by the pandemic, and has now increased its target to $150,000.
Home executive director Catherine James said many migrant workers, especially those in smaller dormitories, have not been paid and urgently need money to pay rent or top up their phones' SIM cards.
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