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Host government is providing treatment to infected people says Bangladesh envoy

Around one out of three people infected with Covid-19 in the city-state of Singapore are Bangladeshis, as per the high commission tally.

Bangladeshi expatriates living in Singapore are getting infected by the coronavirus in large numbers mainly due to their congested living conditions and negligence in relation to social distancing.

As of Wednesday, a total of 3,699 people have been infected in the city-state, according to the Ministry of Health of Singapore.

Of them, the majority are migrant workers, including those from Bangladesh, who live in dormitories in congested conditions.

“I am afraid 1,200 to 1,300 Bangladeshis have been infected so far,” Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladesh high commissioner to Singapore, told Dhaka Tribune over the phone on Thursday.

The figure estimated by the envoy constitutes around 32-35% of the total infected in the city-state with a population of about 5.7 million.

“The first Bangladeshi was infected in Singapore on January 24. Since then, things were going well. But, in the last two weeks, the number of infected cases increased in large numbers,” said the envoy, adding: “The increase can be attributed to the negligence in maintaining social distance and their congested living conditions.”

Most of the Bangladeshi workers live in congested dormitories – sometimes 20 people in one room.

“The good news is that the government of Singapore is treating the Bangladeshi nationals infected by the coronavirus. You know the treatment in Singapore is world-class,” Rahman said.

He further added that all the workers who are out of work due to the outbreak would be paid.

The high commissioner said: “The government is now aggressively testing those living in the dormitories and separating those who tested negative.”

There are currently 120,000 to 130,000 Bangladeshis living In Singapore, he said.

About the activities of the high commission, Rahman said that the mission is in constant touch with the relevant ministries and departments to ensure the health and wellbeing of the expatriates.

“If anyone calls us for help we convey this message to the concerned offices. Besides, we are urging our nationals through social media to obey the guidelines of the host government,” he said.