KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — Public and private sector employees at management and supervisory levels in areas currently placed under the conditional movement control order (CMCO), namely Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor, Sabah and Labuan, have been directed to work from home effective October 22.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Yaakob said this decision was reached at the National Security Council (NSC) special session on the advice of the Health Ministry (MOH) to restrict the movement of employees as part of efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) has also informed that almost 800,000 industrial sector workers from Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Labuan, Selangor and Sabah will be involved with this directive. The same applies to nearly 200,000 civil servants in those states and territories.
“This is now a directive and no more a request. Employers have been told to issue letters for these employees to work from home,” he said at a press conference on the recovery movement control order (RMCO) developments here today.
Miti will be issuing a media statement on this directive soon, he said.
Ismail Sabri said workers who reside in the red zone but are needed in the office will have to take a swab test, and if the employer contributes to the Social Security Organisation (Socso), then the costs will be borne by Socso.
“Among those that need to work in the office include the finance division and those who need to make payments. Those who work in enforcement and welfare also need to continue working and they will need to do swab tests as well,” he said.
Ismail Sabri also said that the government had made it mandatory for foreign workers in the construction sector and security guards to take swab tests to prevent the spread of cases in the workplace.
“This ruling is extended to foreign workers in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Sabah and Labuan.
“For foreign workers whose employers contribute to Socso, swab tests are provided free of charge,” he said.
— Bernama
