Supplementary COS – Response to NCMP Leong Mun Wai on “Total Expenditure of COVID related Facilities”

Oct 15, 2020

Other Operating Expenditure – Total Expenditure of COVID related facilities: 
(1) With the number of COVID-19 infection cases declining, why is there a need to build more COVID-19 related quarantine and Stay Home Notice facilities? 
(2) What is the total expenditure on these facilities since the start of the COVID-19?  And how much is this attributable to the foreign workers? (3) Which are the top five facilities in terms of expenditure incurred? 
(4) Do the employers of the foreign workers need to bear part of the cost and if so, what ratio?  
(5) Is there a differentiation between employers who has taken better care of their foreign workers and employers who didn’t in deciding on the cost sharing?

Response:

Our Infrastructure Planning Strategy

Facilities, such as Community Care Facilities, Government Quarantine Facilities, Stay Home Notice Dedicated Facilities and temporary accommodation for migrant workers were set up at very short notice at the start of the COVID-19 crisis. These facilities played a critical role in breaking the infection cycle. At its peak, these facilities could house about 100,000 people. It was a tremendous undertaking by all parties involved.

The number of cases in Singapore has since declined steadily. We are now taking careful steps to allow more social and economic activities to resume, and to re-open our borders. Therefore, in tandem, we have returned various facilities to their pre-COVID uses. 

However, as shown by experiences elsewhere in the world, we cannot afford to let our guard down. 

We must assess the risk of each step carefully and ensure that we have sufficient options and buffer capacity to meet various contingency scenarios, including a resurgence of cases. This has always been our approach – looking ahead and putting in place robust plans to deal with contingencies.

Expenditure on COVID-19 Facilities

We have spent about $804 million to date. The facilities that account for the largest share are hotels for use as GQFs and SDFs, State properties as temporary accommodation for migrant workers, and Singapore Expo for use as CCF. While we do not have the detailed breakdown of the expenditure attributable to migrant workers, we expect that they are likely to form a sizeable proportion, as migrant workers constitute the bulk of the infection cases in Singapore. 

Closing Remarks

To conclude to Mr Leong’s questions, COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented public health crisis that has affected Singapore and the world. We would like to express our gratitude to the many public officers and private sector partners that have worked tirelessly to set up various COVID-19 facilities at short notice.  

However, we cannot for a moment believe or assume that we are out of the woods. Therefore, we will continue to remain vigilant to guard against COVID-19 resurgence and ensure that we have the necessary COVID-related facilities in place while regularly adjusting the capacity based on the situation.