PUTRAJAYA should issue clear guidelines and directives on Covid-19 screening for workers as much confusion remains, said Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) secretary-general J. Solomon.

He said the government must spell out how frequently they need to be screened, to ensure only those confirmed free of infection are allowed to work.

“The government has said Socso (Social Security Organisation) will pay for tests on all workers who contribute to the fund, including foreign workers. When making the announcement, the government implied that it would be a one-off screening as a precondition for them to return to work,” he said in a statement today.

He raised concerns that a single test is not enough to ensure workplaces are coronavirus-free, saying employees must be screened periodically to achieve this objective.

“However, the government has been silent on this important aspect. If periodic testing is required, will Socso still be made to foot the bill, which will obviously be very expensive and impact its coffers?”

He reiterated MTUC’s stand that Socso funds, which are meant to protect workers, must not be used to pay for virus testing, pointing out that it is the responsibility of the government and employers to cover the cost.

“If workers are required to undergo only a one-off test, what happens if one or more employees are later found to be infected with Covid-19? Will the whole workforce be quarantined and made to undergo testing? Will the workplace be shuttered?”

There is still a lot of ambiguity over the government’s move to make Covid-19 screening a must for foreign workers, who are vital to the Malaysian economy, said Solomon.

He said there is an urgent need for Putrajaya to come up with comprehensive guidelines and an FAQ on testing for employees.

On Monday, Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government was looking into getting employers to provide an identification tag indicating that a foreign worker had undergone a Covid-19 swab test.

He said the tag would allow the public to identify workers who had been screened for the deadly virus.

However, Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah yesterday said the Health Ministry is only agreeable to providing letters, valid for a certain time frame, for employers to confirm workers who test negative.

Solomon said Dr Noor Hisham rightly stressed that a “Covid-19 negative tag” cannot be issued as it may give the impression that a person can no longer be infected.

“The ministry has clearly stated that workers can still be infected with Covid-19 after undergoing testing if they are exposed to the virus (afterwards).

“In view of this, the government and employers must not give the impression that a single test is enough to ensure the safety of employees and minimise the possibility of outbreaks at workplaces.” – May 16, 2020.