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PETALING JAYA: The government can only impose a fine of RM 1,000 on companies due to the limitations of the 1998 Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act (Law 342), Chief Security Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.
He said the Act currently only allows authorities to collect a maximum fine of RM1,000 from any company as a whole, a similar sum to any individual found to be in breach of SOPs during the motion control order.
Ismail’s comments come after criticism of a RM 1,000 fine imposed on a glove factory in Port Klang for violating standard health operating procedures following a raid last week.
“If we want to increase (the fine) to RM10,000, it can be done, but this law must be taken to Parliament for amendment,” he told a press conference.
Following this, he said the government will allow the Health Ministry to impose a fine of RM 1,000 or take employers directly to court, where they can be imprisoned for up to one year.
He said that the judicial option will take effect on January 1, according to the same law.
The human resources ministry had previously informed the National Security Council that many employers still refused to comply with mandatory controls for their foreign workers, which were imposed as of December 1.
Noting that 34,903 bosses have so far sent 821,127 of their foreign employees for testing, Ismail urged all employers to cooperate with the human resources ministry to conduct staff evaluations.
While the ruling currently only applies to Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Sabah, Labuan and Negeri Sembilan, it added that it will be expanded to other states starting in February.
“Employers in unaffected states must take the initiative to send their workers for screening, for the good of their own businesses,” he said.
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