All states should do mass testing needed for full lockdown to be successful, says Ipoh Timur MP

Ipoh Timur MP Wong Kah Woh

IPOH: Ipoh Timur MP Wong Kah Woh has called on all state governments to do mass testing for the full lockdown to be successful.

He said the country aimed to do 150,000 tests daily but it was not achieved.

"With the total lockdown, we need even more testing to be done in the 14-day period," he said on his Facebook page.

"All states should emulate Selangor in the mass-testing exercise," he said.

The lockdown will be in effect from June 1 to 14.

The Parliament's Public Accounts Committee chairman also urged the government to speed up the vaccination process as only about 1.8 million people had been vaccinated so far.

"It is a long way before we can achieve 80% herd immunity.

"Pay and get short-term contract workers from the fund available. Manpower is a problem but it is not an excuse," he said.

Wong also said that the International Trade and Industry Ministry should ensure that only economic sectors that are truly essential are allowed to operate.

"The government also needs to revive the wage subsidy programme, give aid to daily wage earners or to those who lost their income and also order banks to give automatic moratorium for loans," he said.