GEORGE TOWN, Nov 19 — Factories with Covid-19 cases must be temporarily shut down for sanitisation and so that swab tests can be conducted on workers, said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
He said these factories only need to close for a period of up to one week for these conditions to be met.
“This is to stop the Covid-19 cases from spreading,” he said when responding to a question on the affected factories purportedly incurring losses in the millions due to Covid-19 cases.
He said if these steps were not taken, infections could spiral out of control, leading to a total lockdown, which would be an even higher price for these factories to pay.
“Factories need to tighten their SOPs, not only in their manufacturing facility, but in the transportation and accommodation of their workers,” he said.
He said factories have to ensure that their workers are safe at home, when commuting and at the workplace.
Over the last few weeks, several factories have had to temporarily close for sanitisation when scores of workers tested positive for Covid-19.
Some clusters in Penang, namely Intan and Bayan, are also believed to be linked to factories, mostly located in the south-west district of the island.
