KUALA LUMPUR, August 26 — Over 60 per cent of workers who tested positive for Covid-19 from July until now are from the manufacturing sector, according to Amirudin Shari.
The Selangor Menteri Besar said out of 53,571 infected workers identified over the period, about 62 per cent or 33,214 workers were from the manufacturing sector, 14.5 per cent or 7,798 workers from services, 13.5 per cent or 7,232 workers from construction, and 10 per cent or 5,357 workers from trade.
Amirudin said the cases were detected through a mix of workplace tests carried out by employers, contact tracing, as well as self-testing by workers themselves at health facilities.
“The transmission of the virus among workers does not only occur at workplaces. Sometimes, they happen at workers’ dormitories and a lot of times infections are brought in from the outside as the virus is in the community,” he told the state legislative assembly sitting today.
Amirudin said Selangor state health department (JKNS) data showed over 200 compounds and closure notices were issued cumulatively in the state from July 13 until August 23 this year.
They include 42 compounds and closure notices in the Hulu Selangor district, Petaling (35), Gombak (30), Hulu Langat (28), Klang (28), Kuala Langat (14), Sabak Bernam (14), Sepang (9), and Kuala Selangor (5).
The district with the highest number of compounds issued over the period was Petaling, while the district with the highest number of factory closures was Hulu Langat.
Amirudin said while some companies continue to take health measures lightly, others are in compliance. He said Nestle Malaysia, for example, whose facility in Shah Alam, Selangor, is one of the largest factory sites in the country, spent up to RM60 million on infrastructure and purchase of testing equipment to prevent outbreaks on site.
The menteri besar said out of 220 checks conducted by state enforcement authorities between July and August, about 19 per cent or 42 premises were found to have minor Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) offences — described as having less than three misconducts under state guidelines.
Another 36 per cent or 79 premises were found to have conducted severe offences that resulted in the issuance of notice closures for seven days, during which the building owner will be served with a work order to improve the condition of the facility.
The remaining 45 per cent or 99 premises meet all standards set by the National Security Council (MKN), Amirudin said.
Previously, Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah attributed the Covid-19 epidemic in the state to lack of SOP compliance, poor enforcement, and initial delays in the vaccination programme.
He said the lack of SOP enforcement by local authorities and employers at workplaces allowed the more transmissible Delta variant to spread within communities.
