New system for testing but social distancing still in the distance at Shah Alam centre

Foreign workers and locals line up for Covid-19 screening at BP Healthcare in Glenmarie, Shah Alam today.

SHAH ALAM: A healthcare centre in Glenmarie here was forced to change its tactics for walk-in tests for Covid-19 screening after long queues of workers yesterday landed it in the public eye.

It is understood that foreign workers, who must be screened for the virus under a recent government directive, queued for hours at BP Healthcare Glenmarie, raising questions of social distancing among others.

Pictures of the crowds showed that many did not observe the minimum one-metre distance between themselves and others, giving rise to concerns of a higher risk of infection.

Checks at the centre today found a new standard operating procedure (SOP) in place, with workers screened by appointment instead.

The number of tests per day was also reduced to 500 for both local and foreign workers.

However, the new system threw many off as they were not aware of the change in SOP.

A local worker who declined to be named said there were now new delays, and that she would not be able to be tested today.

“They instructed us to schedule an appointment by scanning the QR code provided outside the clinic. The appointment will likely not be set on the same day.

“Mine is on May 9, which means I will have to come again on another day,” she told FMT.

Rabiatul, a chemist, told FMT her company was not informed of the new SOP either.

The crowd of people waiting to be screened for Covid-19 at the Glenmarie BP specialist centre.

“Yesterday, my colleague went for a walk-in screening and was tested on the same day. So I expected to be tested immediately as well.

“But a new system was established and my company was not informed about it.”

Azaruddin Azman, a personal assistant at a construction company, said it was good that the centre had put in place a new SOP.

However, he said social distancing needed to be enforced as many were still seen grouped together.

“I’m quite scared actually because people are still crowded together and it increases the risk of infection.

“However, I still have to get my screening done because I will be barred from entering the construction site without my test results,” he said.

On Monday, the government made it mandatory for foreign workers across the country to undergo Covid-19 screening following a spike in the number of foreign workers testing positive for the virus in Ampang.

Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said all foreign workers must be screened for Covid-19 at their employers’ cost before they are allowed to resume work.

He also said foreign workers in the construction sector would be screened first, adding that Socso would bear the cost of their swab tests as 60% of these workers were contributors. - FMT