Migrant workers to be housed in hotels to curb virus spread

 

There have been constant complaints that workers are housed in crowded and unhygienic conditions.

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has kicked off a plan to temporarily house migrant workers in near-empty hotels across the nation to tackle the worsening spread of Covid-19 cases due to workplace clusters.

The tourism, arts and culture ministry said in a statement yesterday that the programme would help curb the virus outbreak and indirectly assist hotel operators hurt by the pandemic.

“The initiative is the best alternative at the moment,” the ministry said.

The plan is a collaboration between the ministry and the Labour Department, it said.

Overcrowded conditions in employee dormitories have been a key source of infections, spurring record cases and pressuring the health system.

The nation has more than 1.5 million documented migrant workers, 91% of whom live in accommodation that doesn’t meet minimum housing standards, according to the human resources ministry.

The government’s plan also provides a lifeline for the tourism industry.

More than 100 hotels have closed since the outbreak began almost a year ago, according to a Feb 5 statement by the Malaysian Association of Hotels.

A recent video of a hotel manager selling the hotel’s food by the roadside in a popular hawker area is an example of many who have resorted to scaling down to cover expenses and keep employees on their payroll, the association said. - FMT