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PUTRAJAYA: The Human Resources Ministry has been asked to study the possibility of the 1.7 million foreign workers being screened for Covid-19, as cases among them are increasing, says Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said current policy is for employers to hire foreign workers in the construction sector, as well as security guards for their workers to test.
“We have spoken with the ministry to see how we can apply this policy not only to foreigners working in the two fields, but also to workers from other sectors.
“There are many things that need to be looked at, including cost, as well as to see if our labs can cope with the large number of samples that need to be tested,” he said on Monday (Nov 16).
Ismail Sabri said that just over a million foreign workers here are contributing to the Social Security Organization, which can partially subsidize the cost of screening.
“But we need to determine who will bear the remaining cost and, if they are not taxpayers, who will pay the fees,” he said.
Ismail Sabri said the ministry was also asked to look at how the movement of foreign workers can be controlled to ensure that they don’t spread Covid-19 to the community.
“If we impose a closure to the shelters in which they stay, we must also take into account that there are those who live in rented houses in residential areas and how we deal with these situations. All of this must be resolved, ”he said.
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