KUALA LUMPUR: As Covid-19 cases have risen for two consecutive days at a construction site at Jalan Ampang here, authorities have decided that foreign workers must now undergo mandatory screening for the infectious disease.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this will be done as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of Covid-19.
He said that the requirement applies to foreign workers in all sectors, including the food and beverage industry.
"For two consecutive days, we found there was an increase in Covid-19 positive cases and this occurred among foreign workers at a construction site in Ampang.
"As a precautionary measure, we agreed that foreign workers in all sectors, be it construction, factories or restaurants, undergo a mandatory swab test," he said during his daily press conference, today.
He said the cost of the screening will be borne by the employers.
He said the Health Ministry (MOH) has suggested that screening start in KL and Selangor.
To curb the spread of the deadly infection, Ismail Sabri said the Works Ministry has sealed the site at Jalan Ampang, and that any other construction site with Covid-19 positive cases will be closed immediately.
On another matter, he said that the number of Malaysians returning from Singapore per day is still between 300 and 350.
He said there has been no mass return of Malaysians from the city state.