Management forces foreign tenants to undergo Covid-19 test

 

Migrant workers living in an apartment in Kuala Lumpur are required to submit their Covid-19 test results to the management and those who do not, would be barred from entering the premises.

However, a spokesperson for the Cheria Heights Apartment management denied that the ruling discriminated against the workers.

He explained that the move is aimed at helping the government implement the compulsory Covid-19 test for migrant workers.

According to a notice given to these residents that was sighted by Malaysiakini, all migrant workers living in Cheria Heights must do a Covid-19 PCR test.

Apart from the test results, the management also wanted copies of their passports and photographs.

If they failed to submit these documents by Jan 31, the notice stated, security personnel would bar them from entering the apartment.

It added that this was in line with the policies of both the Health and Human Resources ministries.

'Why are others not tested?'

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one migrant worker from the apartment told Malaysiakini that he felt “targeted”.

“I don’t mind doing a test if everyone (all tenants) are required to do so. What is the point of undergoing the test when others don't?” he said.

When Malaysiakini visited the apartment yesterday, there was a notice at the guardhouse, which read: “All foreign workers must provide their Covid-19 test results to the management office before entering.”

Meanwhile, the spokesperson said there is concern that migrant workers who lived in the apartment might not have valid documents or did not register with MySejahtera.

"This is to protect local residents, safeguard our tenants.

"When migrant workers come in, we don't know if they have valid documents. It is difficult to trace them," he added.

He said the management is willing to extend the Jan 31 deadline if the migrant workers are unable to undergo the PCR test within the stipulated period.

Pressed further, he said the management would not bar those who do not provide their test results from entering.

"I am also a human being... these migrant workers are our clients as well," he added.

NGO calls it discrimination

Commenting on the issue, migrant rights' group Our Journey director Sumitha Shaanthinni Krishna said the government's mandatory testing rule was for workplaces and not residential areas.

“The requirement is limited to workplaces and is subsidised by Socso. This does not extend to workers having to be Covid negative in their homes,” she added.

Sumitha, who is a lawyer, described the management's ruling as discriminatory and argued that it does not have the power to bar residents from entering.

Previously, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob Ismail Sabri said employers who failed to comply with the mandatory screening for their foreign workers, which came into effect last month, would be fined or charged in court.

Although previous coronavirus outbreaks involved several factories and construction sites, Malaysians comprised the bulk of the new cases.

Previously, it was reported that the Sri Angsana Hilir condominium in Kuala Lumpur had put up a similar notice for its foreign residents.

However, the management later said it would amend the notice and would not prevent tenants from entering their homes. - Mkini