Workplace clusters records the highest Covid-19 case among the others

Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, the Coordinating Minister for the National Recovery Plan (PPN) said that workplace Covid-19 clusters already reaching a number of 735 clusters have recorded 60,000 cases which is the highest from June 1 to July 23.

According to the finance minister, among all the clusters, a total of 373 or 50.7 per cent are coming from the manufacturing sub-category with 35,642 cases reported.

In response to questions in line with the PPN, he said that this is higher compared to the number of clusters in other categories throughout the same period.

Tengku Zafrul said that the categories of the cluster were meant to determine the locations or localities in order for the actions to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus to be more focused as well as for the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a joint effort with the relevant authorities be able to implement the course of actions more effectively.

Khalid Abd Samad (Amanah-Shah Alam) asked as to why the International Trade and Industry Ministry allowed the factories to open without control, adding that this action by the ministry consequently led to the rise in Covid-19 cases in the country.

Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali responded to the allegations saying that the decision which authorized the factories to operate was made collectively in the National Security Council (MKN) meeting and that the role of the ministry was only to coordinate such that the factories would run in compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) that have been put into place by the authorities.

He also exhibited a placard of data sourced from the National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) and the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) which shows that only 8.8 per cent out of the 408,134 number of new Covid-19 cases across the country were recorded in the manufacturing sector between June 1 and July 23.

The Dewan Rakyat’s special meeting has been disturbed with the opposition MPs insistence for the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to be answering the questions instead of Tengku Zafrul. In the commotion, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri stood up to explain that Tengku Zafrul was replying in his capacity as the PPN coordinating minister.