KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) The oil palm plantation industry in Sabah is allowed to continue their daily operations within their respective lockdown boundaries in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.
In a joint statement today, the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) and Malaysian Estate Owners’ Association (MEOA) said Sabah and its people would face significant losses and social-economic consequences if the state were to impose a complete shutdown of the sector.
The associations were responding to a press statement by the Sabah government that said the state and the plantation industry had reached an agreement and would roll out a joint approach in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 by implementing a voluntary 30-day lockdown in the plantation sector.
KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Estate Owners’ Association (MEOA) has supported the Sabah government’s directive for all plantation companies to screen their workers for Covid-19 after two new clusters involving estates were detected on Friday (Jan 15).
Its president Peter Benjamin said it is also the estate owners’ social responsibility to abide by the policy for the sake of the health of all their employees.
“We should not look at this as a burden and we need to support the government in overcoming this pandemic.
“Healthy employees will also help to keep the operations (in the plantation industry) going, especially since this is an essential service,” he said on Saturday (Jan 16).
Keeping tabs: A health worker taking a nasal swab from a foreign worker in Kuala Lumpur. AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star
PETALING JAYA: As enforcement on the mandatory Covid-19 screening for foreign workers commenced on New Year’s Day, employers are calling on the government to consider periodic screening for both local and foreign workers owing to the increasing number of daily cases.
Small-Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia president Datuk Michael Kang said some members that had begun testing their foreign workers some time ago found more Malaysian staff were contracting the virus.
“For SMEs that hire foreign workers, it is mandatory for them to contribute to Socso.