JOHOR BAHRU, Jan 9 — The Health Ministry (KKM) has recommended to National Security Council (MKN) to tighten controls on inter-district, inter-state travel if COVID-19 cases in the country continue to rise, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.
He said the step was necessary because there was an increase in COVID-19 cases lately which is believed to have arisen from allowing inter-district and inter-state travel beginning December.
Apart from this, he said the rise in cases was also due to active measures to implement screening on all foreign workers in the manufacturing and construction sectors beginning January.
“Since Jan 1, the government has made it mandatory for employers in these sectors to have their foreign workers screened. So when more tests are done, more positive cases will be found but we did not expect a drastic and sudden increase.
“We found this was due to elements of non-compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that were outlined when all economic sectors were reopened,” he told a press conference in conjunction with the handing over ceremony for the upgrading project of the blood collection centre at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (Phase 2) at the main building of the hospital here today.
