Prolonged isolation, up to 3 months for some, is exacerbating migrant workers’ mental health. Spoke to them &aid groups for this story ystd & they told me that 14-day quarantines were renewed several times even after COVID tests were negative.

To give more context: there’ve been a spate of apparent attempted suicides in dorms over the last 2 weeks, w the last on Sun where a worker was found to have slit his throat in Sungei Kadut. If mental health hadn’t been an issue before, this made it glaringly obvious. 2/x

I spoke w aid groups like @HealthServeSG for this. They told me that they’d seen a tripling of cases reporting suicidal ideation in the last 2 weeks. The reasons were varied - income worries, the Bangladesh floods, isolation - but they contribute to an atmosphere of anxiety. 3/x

in early June, they’d received more calls reporting anxiety from hotel facilities where workers were being isolated. Some were initially told they would be there for 2 weeks, but ended up staying for 2 months or more. This despite testing negative for COVID several times. 4/x

To give some idea of what isolation conditions are like: workers are confined to their rooms, usually at hotels, are provided w three meals, but aren’t allowed to leave the room. It’s quarantine, but for up to 3 months like for Abdul, a worker I spoke with. 5/x

In Abdul’s experience, his 14-day quarantine notice was renewed several times w little clarification why, despite him testing negative for covid twice. He emphasised how frustrating this lack of information was and not knowing when the isolation would end. 6/x

Other workers have also reported being given little reasons for being moved or kept in any 1 location. those in dorms are still confined to the premises except for work & unless employers’ give permission. @home_migrantssg said this lack of autonomy is a problem. 7/x

While there's counselling, @home_migrantssg said a "psychiatry intervention approach" risks turning it into an individualised issue, rather than tackling the underlying problem, that "it simply isn't healthy or tenable to keep ppl in these conditions for this length of time." 8/8