PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has identified a total of 601 Covid-19 positive cases among foreigners so far.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said of the total, 356 patients are receiving treatment, 242 individuals have recovered while three died.
They included tourists, foreign workers, refugees and asylum seekers.
Dr Noor Hisham said a majority of the foreigners are from Indonesia (108), the Philippines (104), Bangladesh (63), India (60), and Pakistan (51).
Citing what had happened in Singapore where an increase in Covid-19 cases was associated to a worker’s hostel which contributed to more than 50 per cent of all positive cases in the country, he said Malaysia also had a large number of foreign workers and preventive steps must be taken.
He said employers ought to be responsible in ensuring certain precautionary measures are implemented in the workplace, particularly industries that employ a large number of workers, including foreign ones.
“Body temperature and symptoms (for Covid-19) should be checked before entering the premises; hand washing facilities and hand sanitisers should be provided; and cleaning and disinfection should be performed regularly, especially at shared spaces.
“Besides that, safe social distancing should be practiced where an individual should be at least one metre away from another, including at work spaces and dining areas.”
Among the things that should be avoided at workplaces, he said, were gatherings at confined spaces, congregations, and close conversations.
Dr Noor Hisham said if lodging had been provided, preventive measures especially the practice of safe social distance and personal hygiene should be emphasised.
Workers living at their own accommodation, he said, also needed to adhere to these precautions as well as take their own initiative to regularly conduct home sanitisation and cleaning.
In a related matter, he said the Health Ministry is working with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to ensure that asylum seekers are cared for under the government’s preventive and control measures.
He added that the ministry is working closely with embassies of the relevant countries in Malaysia as well as relevant non-governmental organisations in its efforts to disseminate information to foreigners in Malaysia in their native languages.
National IHR Focal Points from related countries will also be notified of Covid-19 positive cases among foreigners in Malaysia, he said.
