ARAU – The government cannot close the country indefinitely and not allow the people to move freely, said Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
“In the end, we need to allow them to be free, as Covid-19 will always be around, like dengue and so on,” he told reporters after an audience with the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail at Istana Arau here today. Present was Raja Muda of Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail.
Ismail said when the government allowed the people freedom of movement, each individual should take preventive measures to avoid getting infected.
“As such, the people have to comply with all standard operating procedures and instructions announced by the government. I believe if everyone cooperates, the Covid-19 graph could be flattened,” he said, adding that many countries have no movement control orders, such as Taiwan, where the people are disciplined and practise self-control so much so that the deadly virus did not spread in the country.
On the rise of Covid-19 cases in the past few days, Ismail said the total number of cases detected rose after the government enforced mandatory screening of all foreign workers.
Yesterday, there were 1,810 new cases reported and the day before, 2,234 cases.
“There are 888,000 foreign workers in the country... Just imagine, if 5% are infected, the figure will increase drastically. We have to be prepared with sufficient number of beds if there are Covid-19 cases among them,” Ismail said.
“What I want to stress here is that as long as it does not spread in the community, we will be able to control it, as the number involves only foreign workers.”
He said the Human Resources Ministry is intensifying inspection of worker accommodation, as many factories do not adhere to Act 446 (Workers Minimum Standard of Housing and Amenities Act 1990), where employers are required to provide proper living quarters for their workers.
“Two actions have to be taken, namely a swab test for Covid-19 on foreign workers and to ensure their living condition is more conducive, as living in cramped spaces with 20 to 30 people in an apartment can cause the disease to spread quickly.”
Earlier the government made it compulsory for foreign factory workers to undergo Covid-19 screenings from December 1.
In another development, Ismail said the government has added two new posts in the northern region of the country, apart from increasing the purchase of new equipment, such as drones, to step up surveillance at the Malaysian-Thai border. – Bernama, December 12, 2020
