PETALING JAYA: All illegal migrants at the immigration depot located at Bukit Jalil, Semenyih and Sepang are to undergo another round of Covid-19 screening.
Senior Minister (Security cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this is after a spike in the Covid-19 positive cases after it was reported that there was 172 positive cases yesterday.
“We have to screen all illegal migrants as well as staff working in the immigration depot, and that includes the caterers that supply the food to ensure there is no spread of Covid-19 infection to the masses,“ he said at a daily press briefing today.
As yesterday’s sudden spike only involved 8 Malaysians, a special meeting conducted among ministries was also held this morning.
“The meeting concluded that besides MAEPS, the Leprosy hospital in Sungai Buloh and the old maternity ward in Hospital Kuala Lumpur will be converted into Covid-19 wards specifically to treat illegal migrants,“ he said.
This also follows a cluster at a construction site in Kuala Lumpur where 44 foreign workers were also found positive.
Ismail Sabri said the whole construction site was ordered to close together with the temporary housing within the site, and it will be sanitised and cleaned before allowing operations.
“Whatever said and done, we must thank the company for conducting the screening for its workers in order to resume operations. Otherwise these workers can spread the infection to the locals as well,“ he said.
He also said the Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan will unveil policies related to housing for foreign workers very soon.
