By Khairul Azran Hussin
SHAH ALAM, Feb 2 — The National Security Council (NSC) has been urged to allow state governments to cease the operations or lockdown factories that are linked to Covid-19 clusters.
Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said there had been several Covid-19 cases involving factory workers that failed to be contained immediately due to limited jurisdiction given to the state.
“We have the experience to control workplace clusters from spreading, such as isolating 247 foreign workers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) last year.
“If the state is granted a little more jurisdiction to oversee the matter, efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic will be more organised and efficient,” said Amirudin during the Agenda Awani talkshow broadcasted last night.
On November 26 last year, Amirudin had said that the state government was not given the authority to put a stop to Top Glove Corporation Bhd’s operation which was linked to the Teratai Cluster, as the power to cease operations of the factory fall under the Federal government’s jurisdiction.
The Teratai Cluster is the highest recording cluster in the country and has to date registered an accumulated total of 7,142 cases.