PETALING JAYA, Feb 7 (Sin Chew Daily) – In view of the rapid rise in daily new COVID-19 infections in the country in recent days, employees are required to conduct self tests and test negative before returning to work after the Chinese New Year holidays.

At the same time, they are also required to conduct the tests more frequently, especially for high-risk F&B sector whose employees now have to take the tests once every two to three days.

With the health ministry declaring that Malaysia is now fully into the Omicron wave, many business owners are taking increasingly more cautious steps as the local economy is just about to recover.

Do test before returning to work

SME Association of Malaysia president Ding Hong Sing said during an interview with Sin Chew Daily that many SMEs are concerned about the rapid spread of the Omicron variant during the festive season and have demanded that their employees take self tests before returning to work.

He said an employee presenting symptoms such as fever will not be allowed to come back to work and have to visit a doctor immediately.

He reminded SMEs to strictly abide by the SOPs and put an infected employee on at least seven days of quarantine.

Ding said business owners not only have to pay the salaries as usual, they also have to face the problem of decreased production..

“We already have a manpower problem and we will suffer heavier loss if any of our staff get infected.”

He added that many SME operators have paid for booster doses for their foreign workers as a precautionary measure.

More frequent tests required

Malaysia Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors’ General Association president Wong Teu Hoon told Sin Chew Daily the employees now have to do self tests once every two to three days, up from once a week earlier.

“Employees who go out must do the test before coming back, while those who don’t go out need not do the tests so frequently.

“Test kits are quite cheap now and we have bought plenty for our staff.”

Wong nevertheless denied that dining in is the main reason for a sharp increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the country, as claimed by some people on social media.

“Do they get it (COVID-19) just because of dining in? We’re just as helpless as anyone else in the face of the escalating pandemic these few months.

“You see, people move around freely during Chinese New Year. You can’t just blame restaurant dining-in alone!”

Stricter SOPs to stop Omicron

Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) president Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman also concurred that more and more business owners are now requiring their staff to conduct self tests, especially at the start of the work week, as a result of the drastic increase in new infections and the Omicron wave.

He said such a measure is absolutely necessary to ensure that there are no new workplace infection clusters.

In a written reply to Sin Chew Daily, Syed Hussain said MEF urges employers and employees to work together closely in complying with the SOPs, TRIIS (Test, Report, Isolate, Inform, Seek), receiving booster doses and ensuring that their children are also immunized.

“This will help the government stop the spread of the Omicron variant.”

He said the MEF supports the government’s move to tighten the SOPs to stop the virus, adding that all vested interests must abide by the rules.

He insisted that Malaysians have the responsibility to help the government stop the virus, including strict compliance with the SOPs and fully cooperate in the government’s anti-virus measures.