SHAH ALAM – Only 5% to 10% of the total number of Covid-19 cases are from the manufacturing sector, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said.
He said Health Ministry data show that 75% of Covid-19 cases are sporadic, meaning the virus is in the community, while another 25% stems from various clusters, including workplace clusters that cover the manufacturing sector.
“Therefore, it is not fair to put the blame on the economic sector, especially the manufacturing sector,” he said after visiting the Setia City Convention Centre (SCCC) vaccination centre (PPV) here today.
He said when the government decided to allow several economic sectors to operate, it was aware of the probability of Covid-19 infections occurring in those sectors, unlike the education and social sectors, which were completely shut down.
The decision, however, was made in the economic interest of the people, Azmin said.
“The economic sectors, especially those involving essential goods and services, we decided that some of them must be allowed to protect the economic well-being of the people.
“Where there are (economic) activities, the probability (of Covid-19 infections) certainly exist but the number is not as large as announced as the virus is already sporadic, and that is why we are calling for everyone's cooperation to overcome the pandemic by adhering to strict standard operating procedures,” he said.
Azmin said Malaysia is part of a global supply chain and the government does not want any disruption to the supply of food, basic necessities and public health items, such as sanitisers and other pharmaceutical products.
Meanwhile, he said the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme (Pikas) involves only the manufacturing sector for now, but the government will focus on the construction and tourism sectors in the near future.
He also announced that 16,564 workers have received their first virus shots in Penang, Johor and Selangor through Pikas from June 16 until yesterday. – Bernama, June 28, 2021
