CORONAVIRUS | Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government will now focus on deporting all undocumented migrants at immigration detention centres nationwide who have tested negative for Covid-19.
This came amid a series of outbreaks among the migrant population in crowded detention centres in Bukit Jalil, Semenyih and Sepang.
"We have asked the foreign ministry to discuss with their counterparts on deporting their citizens who have tested negative," he told a press conference in Putrajaya today.
Ismail said Malaysia will treat migrants who have tested positive for Covid-19 and is boosting hospital capacity for them as a preparation to deal with any spike of cases.
He said they are now being treated at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) which was previously converted into a temporary hospital.
However, he said MAEPS can only hold 600 patients and there are already 230 infected migrants housed there.
He said the Sungai Buloh Leprosy Centre and an unused maternity ward at Kuala Lumpur Hospital will be used to house migrant patients if the number of infected continues to grow.
"We are worried that we won't have enough hospitals if there is a spike among the undocumented migrants.
"The three locations collectively can take 1,430 patients," Ismail (photo), who is the senior minister in charge of the movement control order, said.
Yesterday, the Health Ministry announced 172 new Covid-19 cases, the highest daily increase in almost three months.
A total of 164 of the new cases involved foreigners, primarily from immigration detention centres.
Close shave ahead of Raya
However, a new cluster involving 44 migrant workers also broke out at a construction site in Kuala Lumpur.
Ismail said the cluster was discovered as the construction company involved had abided by the government's standard operating procedure to test migrant construction workers before they are allowed to return to work.
He added the situation could be worse if they had not been detected before the Hari Raya public holiday.
"Imagine if they were not screened. They would have surely flooded Kuala Lumpur City Centre during Hari Raya.
"The virus could have spread not only among the migrant population but Malaysians," he said.
Ismail assured that the government was enforcing stringent rules at construction sites.
He added that 4,292 out of 5,236 construction sites were not allowed to restart operation yet. - Mkini
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