GEORGE TOWN, April 18 — Penang could be declared as a green zone state if no new cases are reported in all of its districts for 14 days.
Its chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said so far, Penang has continuously gone through four days of zero Covid-19 cases.
“I have been informed by the State Health Department that based on the 14-day Covid-19 monitoring report, if there are no more further cases, all districts in Penang can be green zones on April 27,” he said in a media conference streamed live on his personal Facebook account here today.
As for district level, if there are no more additional cases, Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS) would be the first district in the state to achieve green zone status on April 21.
However, Chow reminded everyone to continue to comply with directives under the movement control order until the situation is really safe.
“Although the country is still recording new cases every day, the numbers have dipped below the 100-mark level compared to a month ago.
“Nevertheless, we still cannot afford to ‘relax’. Continue to obey the MCO until we are really in a safe situation. Stay home, and limit outdoor travel,” he said.
On the closure of several textile companies in Penang, the chief minister said the state government, through the Penang Career Assistance and Talent Centre had taken measures to carry out job matching and replacements for affected employees.
He said recently, the Esquel and Pen Apparel in Penang (PAP) textile companies announced that they had shut down operations in Penang.
“The state government will look into their needs immediately, including job placements for local employees,” he said.
He said Penang is still capable of creating job opportunities for its people on account that its manufacturing sector has had RM13.3 billion in foreign direct investment approved.
“These investments are being rolled out and InvestPenang (iP) expects to create 13,000 job opportunities from this,” he said. — Bernama
