KUALA LUMPUR – The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) has expressed deep concern about the misconception that factories are the primary source of Covid-19 infections.
President Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai told The Vibes this misunderstanding is largely due to news reports that do not paint the full picture.
His comments follow Selangor health director Datuk Dr Sha’ari Ngadiman’s statement yesterday that the majority of clusters in Selangor stem from the sector.
He cited Dr Sha’ari, who said “checks conducted by the Health Ministry showed that factories are allowed to operate in the state if they adhere strictly to the SOPs”.
“In this regard, we wish to stress that, as widely reported based on MoH data, the majority – almost 70% – of Covid-19 cases now are sporadic cases, while clusters contribute to the balance of 30%,” said Soh.
Quoting Heath Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, he said among all cases nationwide, of which 30% are cluster-based, 62% are workplace clusters, with factories making up only 30% of this figure.
“Based on the health director’s data in Selangor, almost 50% of workplace clusters are from factories. However, he did not state the number of cases that clusters account for.
It must be noted that the majority of overall Covid-19 cases are still from sporadic cases, and factories are not the main source of infections.”
Based on FMM’s analysis, daily new cases from June 1 to August 4 that are cluster-based ranged between 3% and 19% of total infections.
New factory-related cluster cases in the same period ranged between 0.3% and 8.3% of the overall number, said Soh.
“It is very clear that cases linked to clusters, especially factory clusters, are low in comparison with overall cases.”
He said one of the challenges faced by the industry is managing the entry of infections into factories and worker hostels.
“Despite the SOPs and preventive measures in place, the virus can still enter factories, especially through asymptomatic cases.
“These sources are often not traced back to the communities where they most likely originated from. Instead, they are linked to factories due to the fact that they were detected there through the daily targeted screening of workers.”
This is not the first time Soh has defended the industry from accusations that it is a primary source of the coronavirus’ spread.
SME Association of Malaysia president Datuk Michael Kang, too, disagrees with Dr Sha’ari’s statement.
“Where do Covid-19 cases from the manufacturing sector originate from? They all come from community clusters.
“The government should focus on controlling the spread of Covid-19, preventing it from entering the manufacturing sector.”
The industry is not a major source of clusters, he said, calling on the Health Ministry to focus on curbing the virus’ spread in the community and via social activities. – The Vibes, August 7, 2021
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