Bosses face action if they stop workers from self-quarantine - Free Malaysia Today

PUTRAJAYA: Employers who prevent workers from undergoing self-quarantine while waiting for their Covid-19 test results can be penalised under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342), said health minister Dr Adham Baba.

He said workers who test positive must undergo compulsory quarantine for 10 days while those who test negative should go into self-isolation.

“If employers are found to have disallowed this quarantine, provisions of Act 342 can be used to impose penalties on them.

“Action can be taken if employers do not allow their workers, either suspected cases or those being tested, to go into self-quarantine until the results are obtained,” he told a joint media conference with National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin here today.

He issued the warning after Covid-19 clusters at workplaces surged to 44 during the week of May 2 to 8 from 24 clusters during the week of April 25 to May 1.

He said this trend was worrying because it represented an 83.3% increase in the number of clusters.

Adham said Covid-19 deaths have also been on a rising trend over a six-week period, with 22 cases between March 21 and 27; 35 cases between March 28 and April 3 as well as April 4 to 10; 49 cases between April 11 and 17; 56 cases between April 18 and 24; and 95 cases between April 25 to May 1.

As at May 8, the death toll was 1,657 or a fatality rate of 0.38%, he said.

Adham said 9.98 million individuals have taken the RT-PCR Covid-19 test as at May 8.

He said 498,193 tests were conducted in the week of May 2 to 8 compared with 480,688 in April 25 to May 1. The number of individuals tested positive in the week of May 2 to 8 was 5.1%.

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