Covid-19: Learning from Singapore, Malaysia to conduct mass testing on migrants

CORONAVIRUS | The Health Ministry will embark on the large scale-testing of the migrant population for Covid-19 as part of its targeted mass screening efforts.

"We are learning from Singapore, our migrant workers, we are embarking on a big scale screening of our migrant workers," said Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Singapore today reported 942 new cases of Covid-19 of which only 14 were Singaporeans. The majority of cases are said to be among migrants living in workers' dormitories.

Noor Hisham said there is no information as yet on how many of the new infections in Singapore involved Malaysians.

Elaborating on the Health Ministry's mass screening plans, Noor Hisham said it would be targeted based on factors such as infection hotspots and cluster groups.

Among the groups being targeted for mass screening include tahfiz students nationwide.

So far there 197 tahfiz schools in the country with 11,045 students, he said.

Meanwhile, 8,392 of them have been screened, he said.

“We are adopting a focused targeted approach.

“The screening is based on targeted locations as well as based on people,” Noor Hisham said.

Some of the targets, aside from the tahfiz students, was the tabligh cluster which made up 39 to 40 percent of Malaysia’s total positive cases.

He said any location that has the enhanced movement control order such as in Simpang Renggam, Menara City One or Selangor Mansion, will see the testing of everyone in that area.

“Basically, when we lock down the area, enhanced MCO, we are targeting the area, we test everyone,” he said. - Mkini