Selangor Journal
A healthcare worker handling a sample for laboratory analysis during a Covid-19 community screening operation at Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, on January 7, 2021. — ASRI SAPFIE/SELANGORKINI

Selangor’s POIS contains Covid-19 spread without shutting down factories

By Ida Nadirah Ibrahim

SHAH ALAM, Feb 8 — The Preventing and Detecting Outbreaks at Ignition Sites (POIS) programme introduced by the Selangor government enables measures to be taken at industrial and manufacturing sites without having to cease the operations of the companies.

Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said POIS was set up on a voluntary basis that allows the companies to come forward to have their workers tested without fearing their operations would be temporarily halted if new cases were detected.

The Selangor Menteri Besar said while the Covid-19 screening of foreign workers by the Social Security Organisation (Socso) aims for some 800,000 workers to be tested in the state, he said only about 200,000 were screened so far.

“The idea of POIS is that we cannot rely on the government for testing. Some of the factories, they are afraid to have their workers tested because when positive cases are found, then they would have to temporarily shut down their operations.

“With POIS, they come voluntarily and have their workers tested, we isolate those that are found positive and provide them with certain procedures for them to continue their operations.

“POIS is a solution on how industries can continue running while we identify the cases, with discipline,” said Amirudin in on a Facebook live session last night titled “Covid-19 Fight: Red Zone Selangor”.

The live discourse was aired on prominent journalist Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai’s Facebook and also featured media icons Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar and Datuk Hussamuddin Yaacub.

POIS, which has several components, was launched to curb and reduce cluster infections at the workplace.

It uses the SELangkah (Step In, Safely) platform and requires the active participation of employers, employees and the authorities.

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