Employers told to provide quarantine centre for infected workers

by AZREEN HANI / pic by TMR FILE

EMPLOYERS should provide a quarantine centre for their foreign workers, who are tested positive for Covid-19, Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan said.

“Employers should also provide a quarantine center for the purpose of isolating their foreign workers who are tested positive for Covid-19.

“In addition, the cost of medical expenses as well as the retirement of foreign workers during the isolation period will be funded by their respective employers,” the minister said in a statement today.

The ministry also urged all employers to report to the Ministry of Health (MOH) immediately if any of the foreign workers they employ are found to be positive for Covid-19 after screening.

“Employers need to act more proactively in curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic among the foreign workers they employ.

“This is due to the increase in Covid-19 positive cases which has reached more than 125,000 cases,” he added.

Saravanan stressed that employers are also advised to conduct the screening test among its foreign workers in accordance with the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Regulations Measures in Local Infected Areas (No. 9) 2020 under the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act 1988 (Act 342) which came into force on January 1 this year.

This is to enable the early detection of positive cases among foreign workers and mitigate the spread of the virus to their co-workers.

Malaysia reported a whopping 3,027 new Covid-19 cases yesterday, of which 3,021 were locally transmitted.

This brought the total active cases to 25,742 and cumulative cases to 128,465.