PETALING JAYA: The latest Covid-19 cluster detected at a construction site was because of the mandatory testing of foreign workers, says Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
The Senior Minister said that the contractor involved had adhered to the government’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) that had made it mandatory for foreign workers in the construction and security sectors to get tested for the disease.
He claimed that if the government had not made it mandatory, the disease could have spread to others in the country, including locals.
"If they had not been tested, these 44 workers could have been at KLCC during the Hari Raya holidays.
“We have stopped the virus from spreading among themselves and to Malaysians as well," he said in his daily briefing on Tuesday (May 26).
On Monday (May 25), the Health Ministry said it had detected 44 Covid-19 cases at a construction site in Kuala Lumpur.
Ismail said about 400 workers had undergone testing, with 44 confirmed positive for the disease.
They have been sent to Hospital Sungai Buloh for treatment, while their close contacts have been quarantined.
The construction site has been closed and disinfection is being conducted there.
Ismail Sabri also said that the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) would inspect sites to ensure that standard operating procedures are adhered to during the conditional movement control order (MCO).
He said that a total of 5,236 construction sites had been inspected so far, with 728 sites found to have adhered to the SOPs while 209 did not and were given warnings.
Ismail Sabri said that seven sites were ordered to be closed, while another 4,292 sites were not operation yet.
Sabri said that a total of 27,383 workers at construction sites have been screened for Covid-19, but did not specify how many were positive for the disease.
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