Foreign worker quarantine costs to be resolved soon

PETALING JAYA: With hotels set to become quarantine centres for foreign workers, operators are expecting the cost of quarantine per worker to be finalised later this week.

They were told the matter was discussed during a Cabinet meeting last week and they are currently waiting for the finalised amount.

So far, the proposed amount according to the operators, was between RM150 and RM200 per worker, inclusive of meals, airport transfer and accommodation, of which twin-sharing is allowed with another from the same group and arrival.

Faz Group Sdn Bhd director Datuk Mohamad Fardzli Idrus said he was informed that an announcement would be made to all operators soon.

“What we have proposed to the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) earlier was around RM175 per worker. We are still waiting for the government to finalise this,” he said.

Mohamad Fardzli noted that the price should not go higher than RM180, as it would be a burden to employers, who have to foot the bill in addition to paying for other costs of hiring a foreign worker.

Faz Group is among the two panels of hotels assisting with the quarantine management of foreign workers under the National Security and Safety for Foreign Workers Recruitment and Quarantine Management (NSSFW) initiative.

NSSFM was initiated by Nadma to manage and improve controls specifcally related to Covid-19 management and processes while ensuring that national security is not compromised.

On March 22, Nadma inked a collaboration with Hong Seng Consolidated Bhd (HSC) on foreign workers recruitment and quarantine management at a panel of selected hotels.

HSC’s subsidiary, eMedAsia Sdn Bhd, together with Nadma, will provide end-to-end Covid-19 screenings for foreign workers upon their entry into the country.

Mohamad Fardzli said the first batch of workers is expected to arrive in Malaysia after the Hari Raya celebration.

“We are expecting the majority of workers to come from Bangladesh after their government finalises it and lets their workers come to Malaysia before Ramadan starts.

“Once they do, it will take around three to four weeks for the workers to arrive. We expect the soonest they can come is after Hari Raya,” he said, adding that the government should also facilitate the return and quarantine of some 10,000 foreign workers who have working visas but returned to their home countries before the pandemic.

According to Nadma’s requirement, Mohamad Fardzli said a total of 9,000 rooms were required daily and there were over 400 hotels around the peninsula to cater to this need.

He also said the foreign workers would be in quarantine between five to seven days, depending on their vaccination status.

“The hotels are ever ready to accept the foreign workers, as many of them are already providing quarantine services for tourists.

“They have the experience to provide these services. Most of them know how to handle it, even when there are positive cases,” he said.

When contacted, a spokesperson for Cahaya Pengurusan Cekap Sdn Bhd, which is the other panel of hotels, also said they were waiting for the finalised announcement from the government this week.

“We will be able to comment more later,” he said.