[ti:After Early Praise, Virus Cases Rise in Singapore] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Singapore has been praised for limiting the spread of the coronavirus. [00:06.84]But infections have risen recently among migrant workers. [00:13.72]The city-state now has the most infections in Southeast Asia. [00:21.08]As a result, Singapore is bringing back some restrictions. [00:28.48]Singapore's Ministry of Health said that, as of Monday, [00:33.68]about 87 percent of reported cases are workers living in dorms. [00:42.80]These kinds of housing can have up to 20 people living in one room. [00:50.72]Singapore is known for having a high number of foreign workers [00:55.88]who come from Britain and other places to work in business or banking. [01:04.24]But many foreign laborers come as well. [01:08.60]They include Philippine cleaners and Bangladeshi building laborers. [01:17.36]Migrant workers are part of Singapore's two-track economy [01:22.60]of both high-paying technology jobs and low-paying labor jobs. [01:30.76]The activist group Transient Workers Count Too said it has been warning [01:38.32]that crowding among migrants presented a risk of viral spread. [01:46.84]Alex Au is the group's vice president. [01:52.76]He said, "There's no denying now that density and poor ventilation in our dorms" helps spread disease. [02:04.04]But he said that is only part of the problem. [02:09.68]Au said Singapore is too dependent on low-cost labor. [02:16.64]Migrant workers there are getting attention now [02:21.04]because they make up a large majority of Singapore's COVID-19 cases. [02:29.28]Before the large increase in infections, [02:33.44]experts had praised Singapore for its strong actions to limit the spread of the disease. [02:43.40]Experts said measures such as fast treatment for patients, [02:49.64]following contacts of people who could carry the disease and travel restrictions were successful. [03:00.52]Travel restrictions, however, could not prevent the spread of COVID-19 within Singapore. [03:09.36]Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the disease was "hidden" as it spread largely among laborers. [03:19.32]New cases have increased in the past three weeks after being comparatively low before then. [03:29.48]HOME is a non-profit organization in Singapore aimed at helping workers. [03:37.92]The group said in a statement: "The COVID-19 pandemic [03:43.68]has shown that migrant workers are indispensable" to the operation of the country. [03:52.80]Singapore's Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said there is "no question" [04:01.08]that Singapore should improve conditions in the dorms. [04:07.28]Teo's ministry is helping with providing food and supervising workers at the dorms. [04:17.24]But she said Singapore must deal with the virus emergency [04:23.28]before it can deal with workers' living conditions over the long term. [04:32.08]The Health Ministry said it is increasing testing for the virus in the dorms. [04:39.76]It is also following possible carriers, a method known as contact tracing. [04:47.96]Health Minister Gan Kim Yong spoke Monday about the new measures. [04:55.20]He said Singapore had increased health care workers [05:00.32]and expanded medical centers in preparation for more cases. [05:08.04]Officials are especially concerned about what are called "unlinked" cases. [05:17.12]For these cases, it is unclear how the virus spread from one person to the next. [05:26.04]Labor activist Au said he hopes the health crisis will bring attention to important labor issues [05:35.16]like high payments to recruiters and unpaid work for migrants. [05:43.04]Au said labor unfairness is a "structural problem" that opens the country to many other problems. [05:54.56]He added, "It's hard to predict where the next crisis might come from." [06:02.24]I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. [06:06.56]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM