GEORGE TOWN – The high number of Covid-19 cases among local factory workers in Penang has the Malaysian Manufacturers Federation (FMM) urging the state government to help in their screening.
One method is for the state government to provide Social Security Organisation (Socso) subsidies for the screening, so employers are encouraged to get their employees tested to gauge the extent of the Covid-19 infection in the manufacturing sector.
FMM Penang branch chairman, Datuk Jimmy Ong, said it will be wise to enhance the coronavirus screening process in the state as statistics show that 69% of those infected are local workers, while the rest are foreigners.
The figures are from a survey on pandemic infection conducted by FMM Penang branch from January 24 to February 24.
“We hope the Penang government will provide a Socso subsidy to screen local workers as the virus is blind to race, religion, creed and colour, and providing subsidy for local employees will help fight the pandemic,” Ong said.
“Although the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme has started, it will take more than a year to vaccinate the targeted group, and a large portion of the population will still be at risk.”
He said infected foreign workers are easy to control as they live in apartments and dormitories, whereas locals live all over the state, with some also staying in neighbouring states.
“The state government should take steps to monitor and treat these infected locals.
“They are just as important as foreign workers. However, foreign staffers are always targeted whenever there is talk about the pandemic.
“The government needs to have a different way of dealing with the situation, instead of the old contact-and-tracing approach.
“Two clusters in the state proved difficult to lock down – the Beringin cluster, which contributed to 20% of cases, and the new Mayang Pasir cluster, which contributed 13%.
“The surge in cases has become serious over the past two months without much done to contain it.”
On the requirement for employers to provide accommodation according to standards set under the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990, Ong said employers need more time to set up such housing.
“We are still trying to sort out issues like shortage of space for accommodation, and have appealed to the federal and state governments to expedite the approval process to convert shoplots into dormitories.
FMM Penang branch has requested the state government to provide a time frame of at least a year for employers to comply with the worker dormitory requirements.
Ong also urged the government to clearly list down the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for various movement control orders (MCO), as people, including employers, are confused on SOPs for the MCO, recovery MCO and conditional MCO.
FMM Penang branch members in a Zoom media conference said employees are especially confused over inter-district travelling. – The Vibes, February 26, 2021
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