COVID-19 IMPACTS ON IMMIGRATION DETENTION: GLOBAL RESPONSES from Singapore’s armed and police forces helped to implement these measures, including enhancing medical support and facilitating testing for the virus. The treatment of migrant workers, by locking them down in dormitories for what has now been almost six months has gained criticism from civil society. While citizens and residents living under the lockdown (or circuit-breaker as it was called) have benefitted from greater leniency such as being able to go to shops to purchase necessities and be outdoors for exercise, these workers have effectively been confined for this duration of time, with most unable to leave the confines of their rooms or dormitories at most. Reports have already emerged of deteriorating physical and mental health among these workers due to their prolonged isolation in these rooms which they share with up to 12 people.10 With many migrant workers locked down in their dormitories, with many not even being allowed to come out of their shared rooms, this is hardly surprising. Regrettably, there have been several reports of attempted suicides, self-harm or deaths.11 CONCLUSION Singapore’s response to, and global acclaim for her handling of this pandemic, while initially precedent-setting, has now largely been shaped by the country’s poor response to dealing with outbreaks within the migrant worker community. The physical, emotional and mental cost of this pandemic among the migrant worker community in Singapore unfortunately remains incredibly high. However, the pandemic has also shed new light on the conditions migrant workers have been living in, and this attention has seen an increase in charitable donations, along with dorm operators working to improve living conditions. Belated as it might be, at least one possible development to emerge from Singapore’s pandemic response will be finally prioritizing and treating the migrant worker community with the dignity and respect they deserve. SANGEETHA YOGENDRAN PhD Research Fellow, Ghent University 10 https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/covid-19-immigration-detention-platform 11 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-singapore-migrants/spate-of-suicides-among-migrant-workers-in-singapore-raises-concernidUSKCN2510QP 46 International Detention Coalition and Western Sydney University