GEORGE TOWN, Dec 3 — The Penang government would be holding a special safety meeting with the National Security Council (NSC) today to discuss the procedures of the mandatory Covid-19 screening test for foreign workers.

State Housing, Local Government and Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said that this special meeting would focus on certain factors about the Covid-19 screening test to ensure a smooth operation for around 127,000 foreign workers in Penang.

He said that one of the factors to be considered is the capacity for the Covid-19 test and the plan to be carried out.

"The last time the Penang government carried out the mandatory Covid-19 screening test for some 15,000 foreign workers back in April, it took us about one month and that was only from one specific facility,” he told reporters at the Penang City Hall here.

He said other matters that need to be ironed out were the cost of the Covid-19 screening test and whether there would be any form of subsidy for the employers, as well as the identification of the high-risk sectors. "While the Penang government fully supports the Federal Government’s initiative to implement the mandatory test, we would want to ensure that these factors are well considered in hopes that the screening tests can be streamlined,” he said.

On November 28, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said in a statement that the screening would be conducted in stages for foreign workers in Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Sabah and Labuan.

Saravanan said that the screening test would be carried out by the Social Security Organisation (Socso), in collaboration with private clinics and hospitals, to ensure comprehensive implementation.

Effective December 1, the large scale screening test was given priority to high-risk areas, starting with foreign workers in Klang, Selangor; and Seremban, Negri Sembilan.

According to Saravanan, the screening test for foreign workers within the red zones in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Penang will begin by Dec 9, followed by the test for Sabah, Labuan and other districts in Selangor, Penang and Negri Sembilan on December 16. — Bernama