Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan has assured his counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen of taking care of Bangladeshi expatriates suffering from coronavirus.
In a facebook post, he said he had a “warm” telephone conversation with Dr Momen on Thursday, having last spoken with him back in February.
The foreign ministry also issued a statement following the talk.
“We exchanged notes on our responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, reaffirming the need to work together to overcome this common challenge,” Vivian said.
“Minister Momen expressed gratitude for our efforts to ensure the health and welfare of Bangladeshi workers in Singapore, including providing food, healthcare, and other essential supplies, as well as ensuring that salaries continue to be paid.
“I explained to Minister Momen some of the health precautions we have taken, given the cluster of cases at several dormitories here.
“These workers have made significant contributions to Singapore, and we have a responsibility to provide for their well-being,” he said.
“We also agreed to work together to facilitate the repatriation of Bangladeshi nationals and workers who want to return home, and to bring Singaporeans back home from Bangladesh to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
Some 102 Bangladeshi migrant workers in Singapore are among the 248 new coronavirus cases reported by the city state in two days.
Most of the newly confirmed Bangladeshi patients are linked to clusters detected at worker hostels, according to lists published by Singapore’s Ministry of Health on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Singapore foreign minister also wished Dr Momen and all Bangladeshi nationals a Bengali Happy New Year on April 14.