PUTRAJAYA, May 8 — The government has made compulsory for foreign security guards to take swab test for Covid-19 as part of the measures to break the chain of the virus infection during enforcement of the conditional movement control order (CMCO).
Senior Minister (security cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the decision was made at the Special Ministerial Meeting on the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) as their (security guards) presence at entrances of supermarkets made them the most vulnerable to the risk of being infected with the virus.
“The security guards have contacts with many people, especially patrons who do not register when entering the supermarket and will be difficult to detect,” he told a daily press conference here today.
Yesterday, the Health Ministry identified a cluster involving security guards and personnel at a shopping mall in Cheras, with 10 of them, comprising nine Nepalese nationals and a Malaysian, found to be Covid-19 positive cases.
When asked whether the supermarket could be closed, Ismail Sabri said the matter is under the jurisdiction of the Health Ministry.
Ismail Sabri said the Ministry of Home Affairs would issue a directive to security companies on the requirement for their foreign security guards to undergo swab tests for Covid-19.
Asked whether the movement control order (MCO), which ends this May 12, will be extended, he said the government would make an announcement on the matter soon.
He said the Health Ministry would advise the government on the matter (extension of MCO) as the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act or Act 342, which is enforced under MCO, is under the Health Ministry’s jurisdiction.
The MCO was enforced since March 18 with the first phase and is now in its fourth phase, to end on May 12.
On May 4, the government enforced the CMCO whereby almost all economic sectors and businesses were allowed to reopen subject to strict conditions.
— Bernama
