‘Targeted screening of foreign workers a more viable approach’

GEORGE TOWN: A “targeted approach” in conducting screening and testing would be the best way to detect Covid-19 cases among foreign workers, said Real Estate and Housing Developers Association (Rehda) Penang chairman Tan Hun Beng.

Tan said if there was a positive Covid-19 case, then a lockdown should be imposed at the worksite and its quarters with mandatory screening for all the foreign workers.

“We must also ensure that all standard operating procedures are fully complied with.

“It’s better to do it this way, rather than making foreign workers wear wristbands in public, which I feel is discriminatory and tantamount to stigmatising.

“This would only psychologically create fear of foreign workers among the public, ” he said.

Tan said every effort must be made to find a solution on how to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus, rather than taking expedient measures which did not serve any purpose.

“It’s not fair to implement a blanket solution by making them wear wristbands as not all foreign workers are carrying the virus and it causes unnecessary fear among the people, ” he added.

There are 15,000 registered construction workers in the state and all of them were screened for Covid-19 in a mass screening exercise in April, with costs partly borne by Rehda.

State local government committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said what was more important was to get all foreign workers screened.

“Wearing a wristband does not really address the issue as the crux of the matter is to test foreign workers and prevent the spread of new clusters, ” he noted.

Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said that the government was mulling whether foreign workers should be made to wear wristbands to identify them in public in light of the increase in Covid-19 cases linked to them.

He said a decision would be known at today’s National Security Council (MKN) meeting.