Tainan City Government to inspect migrant worker dormitories for COVID-19 prevention

Labor Affairs Bureau and Public Health Bureau of Tainan City Government will inspect migrant worker dormitories to check if disease control measures are in place and fine failed employers responding to the level 3 COVID-19 alert for the country, Labor Affairs Bureau of Tainan City Government said Saturday.

Labor Affairs Bureau Director Wang Hsin-ch (王鑫基) said in a press release by the Bureau that employers risk a fine of NT$60,000 to NT$300,000 if they fail to provide safe and sanitary dormitories for their migrant workers according to the Employment Service Act.

Migrant workers will be suspended to change employers to reduce personnel turnover. Image courtesy of Tainan City Government.

The inspection will be targeted at all worker dormitories in Tainan, and the Bureau will also corporate with police stations to inspect clustering of workers, including activities such as gathering to eat, smoke, chat, or drink, the bureau said.

Responding to the policy of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), the priority of the inspection will be targeted at worker dormitories having more than 100 workers and corporates having more than 500 workers, the bureau said.

The bureau also launches multiple language versions for epidemic-preventing measures. Image courtesy of Tainan City Government.

Other disease control measures will include requiring manpower agencies and corporates to follow “Guidelines for Employing Migrant Workers during COVID-19 Epidemic,” promoting to prevent workers from going out, and sending out posters with disease control information in gathering places such as Tainan Railway Station, the bureau said.

The bureau launches multiple language versions for epidemic-preventing measures such as translating the city’s screening objects and screening stations into pictures and producing Line pictures with multiple languages.

Other measures include promoting Line chatbot services such as E-Line or One-Forty CARE and sending information of the tracking of confirmed Filipino migrant workers, case 8605 and 8606 to manpower agencies’ LINE groups, the bureau said.

In addition, the bureau advises employers of migrant workers to prevent the disease through several measures, such as separating workers in both workplaces and dormitories, taking workers’ temperature, disinfecting traffic vehicles, and managing the in-and-out of personnel in dormitories based on “Guidelines for Employing Migrant Workers during COVID-19 Epidemic.”

Epidemic-preventing posters in multiple language versions can be requested by phone call and the bureau’s multiple language online platforms providing the latest epidemic information will also be available to the public, the bureau added.