The Grateful migrants: Indians and Bangladeshis in Singapore in times of COVID-19

Diotima Chattoraj (684 B, Jurong West STREET 64. #12-123, Singapore- 642684)

Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal

ISSN: 1819-5091

Article publication date: 15 June 2020

Issue publication date: 15 June 2020

138
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Abstract

Singapore has had a dramatic spike in coronavirus infections in early 2020, with thousands of new cases linked to clusters in migrant workers (MWs) dormitories. To control the spread, the Government attempted to isolate the dormitories, test workers and move symptomatic patients into quarantine facilities. But those measures have left thousands of them trapped in their dormitories, living in cramped conditions that make social distancing near impossible. This paper investigates how COVID-19 has impacted the lives of these workers in varied ways and highlights the migrant workers' belief if Singapore’s effort has been enough for them during the COVID-19 pandemic? The focus is mainly on the low-skilled workers from India and Bangladesh, who are prone to be affected in various ways by COVID-19. My collected data show that migrant workers are grateful to the Singapore state for the support extended during COVID-19. I used the concept of subcultures to explain the condition of the workers in the state of Singapore. Because they expect so little social protection from the state, they are genuinely grateful for its support during the pandemic.

Keywords

Citation

Chattoraj, D. (2020), "The Grateful migrants: Indians and Bangladeshis in Singapore in times of COVID-19", Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 44-62. https://doi.org/10.1108/SEAMJ-01-2020-B1005

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, 1999-2022 Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal

License

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited


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