Coronavirus: Mega Covid-19 facility being built at Tanjong Pagar Terminal to house up to 15,000 people

SINGAPORE - A large facility is being set up at Tanjong Pagar Terminal to potentially house Covid-19 patients and foreign workers, as the number of coronavirus cases in Singapore continues to increase.

The Straits Times understands that when completed, the mega temporary structure could accommodate up to 15,000 people. ST has contacted the authorities for more information.

Over the last few days, regular visits to the site have shown large marquees being set up with cherry pickers in the area. There are also multiple rows of cars.

Trucks carrying building materials could also be seen entering the terminal, which has been vacant since port operations relocated.

As of Wednesday (April 22), at least five or six rows of tents have already been set up at the terminal. Much of the terminal's operations were moved out as early as 2017, as part of plans for a future mega port in Tuas.

Over the last few weeks, the Government has been clearing and preparing various locations to house healthy foreign workers to curb the spread of the virus in worker dormitories or to convert them into community isolation sites.

The community isolation facilities are meant to house recovering Covid-19 patients and those with milder symptoms, and include the Singapore Expo, Changi Exhibition Centre, and D'Resort NTUC in Pasir Ris.

All of the 10,000 foreign workers in essential services living in purpose-built dormitories have been moved into 18 alternative living areas such as military camps, floating hotels, sports halls and vacant Housing Board blocks.

Some of them were moved to floating accommodations berthed at the Tanjong Pagar Terminal this month.

Cruise ships are also being considered to house the workers. One such ship is the SuperStar Gemini, currently berthed at Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore near the Tanjong Pagar Terminal site.

As of Thursday, Singapore has reported a total of 11,178 Covid-19 infections, with the bulk of the cases being foreign workers living in dormitories.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.