Mps Point To Factories Say Numbers Likely To Surge Further

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Charles Santiago claims many factories are not following procedures and were found to allow Covid-19 positive workers in their premises but isolated from others. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: It’s been almost a week into the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) in most parts of the Klang Valley, but the number of Covid-19 cases is still rising rapidly, with one opposition MP saying the government was “giving in to factory management”.
The government, on the other hand, says the numbers are rising because of an increase in the targeted testing that’s going on in places under the EMCO. It did not, however, say when the testing would peak and when the numbers will start to fall.
Selangor and Kuala Lumpur have been registering record numbers over the past week with Selangor reporting 3,119 cases yesterday and a record 4,152 today while Kuala Lumpur had 1,005 and 1,133 cases, respectively.
Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye expects the number of cases to rise further.
“Have they given up on contact tracing? Are they just focusing on immunisation? The number of infections are expected to rise further and health staff are already overwhelmed,” he told FMT.
The PKR Gopeng MP added that, by right, Covid-19 infections in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur should have decreased since the EMCO was imposed on July 3.
“But we are worse now than before,” he said, referring to cases in Kuala Lumpur where 616 Covid cases were reported on July 3 compared with 1,133 today. Cases in Selangor have doubled from 2,262 on July 3 to 4,152 today.”
However, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the the increase was due to a ramp-up in public health measures in EMCO areas.
“During the EMCO, public health activities can be more focused. Close contact detection and health screening activities, especially on symptomatic individuals, have been implemented more vigorously,” Noor Hisham said earlier today.
Meanwhile, Klang MP Charles Santiago said the government had failed to control the situation, resulting in hardship to poor families and businesses.
“The government is not even sure what it is trying to solve,” he told FMT.
The DAP MP said planners at Putrajaya had implemented wrong strategies to cut down disease transmission. They are, for instance, giving in to factory management.
“Many factories are not following procedures. Some factories have been found to allow Covid-19 positive workers to operate on one side of the factory while those not infected work at the other side. They are being isolated at their hostels where SOPs are not followed,” he said.
Santiago said that as only 30% to 40% of workers are allowed in factories, the majority of them did not scan their MySejahtera App.
“They are finding ways to work without being caught,” he said, adding that infections were therefore unlikely to come down.
Santiago said the emergency implemented since January had failed to bring down the cases, noting that Malaysia recorded 8,868 cases today.
This may result in an extension to the EMCO resulting in more businesses closing. “More people will lose jobs, more people will commit suicide,” he said.
Santiago, who has been distributing food to the poor, said he sometimes had problems sleeping at night after meeting or hearing the cries of families who had no food, jobs or money.
“More EMCOs are not going to help unless the right strategies are in place,” he added.
Subang MP Wong Chen said the public had lost confidence in the government.
“They have lost trust in the government and that could be a reason why some don’t want to comply with the rules,” he said. - FMT

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