Given how home quarantine for Category 1 and 2 Covid-19 patients would not be effective for those that are living in cramped spaces, the Federal Government was urged to build more private Covid-19 centres. In a statement yesterday, DAP Member of Parliament (MP) for Seputeh Teresa Kok suggested the idea following the still high Covid-19 cases and casualties in our country despite a decrease in severe infections in our country as a result of mass vaccination.
Teresa then called for the government to provide insentive and to work with companies and manufacturers to build private quarantine centres for the thousands of migrant workers and B40 Malaysians infected with the virus. Quoting a Bernama report, the MP for Seputeh revealed that an alarming number of industry workers in Selangor have been identified to be Covid-19 positive since July 2021; 53,571 infections to be exact!
A breakdown of the infections was tabled at the recent Selangor State Legislative Assembly as per below:
- 62% Manufacturing sector (33,214 people)
- 14.5% Services sector (7,768)
- 13.5% Construction workers (7,232)
- 10% Trading sector (5,357)
Teresa further elaborated,
“A majority of workers infected with Covid-19 in the manufacturing and construction sectors are foreign workers that are living together in cramped spaces. This has contributed to the increase in Covid-19 clusters within Klang Valley and the reason as to why cases in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur are consistently high.”
Teresa thus called for the Federal Government to build more private quarantine centres such as the Covid-19 Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRCS) operated by the CREST Malaysia located in Travelodge City Centre in Jalan Hang Kasturi, Kuala Lumpur. In fact, PKRCS is currently providing free stay for Covid-19 patients from poor families; an initiative that is commended by the Seputeh MP.
Teresa asserted,
“I would like to suggest that the Federal Government work together with State Governments, NGOs or manufacturing associations and local business associations to identify potential locations for temporary private quarantine centres.”
These locations include factories that have seized operation, budget hotels, empty commercial buildings or even community halls, depending on the local situation and needs. – The Rocket.
