New govt must do all to stop workplace clusters, says think tank

 

The other states are not as well-equipped as the Klang Valley to handle spikes in Covid-19 workplace clusters, says a think tank. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The incoming government must urgently address the problem of Covid-19 workplace clusters to prevent other states from experiencing the same public health catastrophe in the Klang Valley, says a think tank.

The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) called for proactive measures based on research and scientific data to prevent the public healthcare system from a complete collapse, as other states were less well-equipped than the Klang Valley.

Citing findings from a Penang-based Stanford mathematician, IDEAS noted that workplace clusters had significantly contributed to the infectivity rate (R0 or R-nought) of Penang, Johor and Negeri Sembilan during the first six weeks of total lockdown.

“In brief, there is strong evidence that the Covid-19 spread would have decreased if there were no more workplace clusters during this time period.

“Hence, the recent claim by our former minister of international trade and industry that the contribution of the manufacturing sector to daily cases is minimal, is inaccurate,” it said in a statement.

Moving forward, IDEAS proposed several measures to tackle workplace clusters, including targeted lockdowns on factories, proper staff accommodation, routine testing for workers and isolation of suspected or positive cases.

It also suggested good ventilation at workplaces, increased vaccination efforts targeted at industry players, local and migrant workers as well as increased enforcement on illegal factories.

“In addition to the recommendations above based on the research findings, we also propose the need to plan ahead to boost our ICU capacity. This can be done by rapidly constructing purpose-built ICU facilities with High Dependency Units located near major hospitals, based on expertise from other nations.”

Finally, IDEAS called for open and transparent sharing of granular data on specific sectors of workplace clusters and infected patients.

“Malaysia needs a fresh and effective approach to national strategies, grounded in science and data. We need to plan beyond unending lockdowns which have multitudinous repercussions,” it said. - FMT