PUTRAJAYA: A new Covid-19 cluster involving cleaners has been detected, Health director-general Datuk Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.
He said 24 positive cases were recorded among the Bangladeshi workers after the cleaning company decided to conduct Covid-19 screening among its staff.
"The cases were detected by a private clinic that carried out the screening process initiated by the cleaning company.
"A total of 150 foreign workers were screened and tested, of which 126 cases turned out negative," he said.
Dr Noor Hisham said 20 of the patients, who were staying at a hostel in Kuala Langat, Selangor, were currently being treated at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.
The other four, who were staying in Nilai, Negri Sembilan were currently being treated at the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital, Seremban.
"With the confined space in their accommodations, social distancing could not be maintained. We are now conducting contact tracing among the workers.
"We are also investigating the cause of the infection. Like any other clusters, we will enhance action to curb the spread of Covid-19.
"The employer should be commended for taking the initiative to have his workers screened for the virus, leading us to successfully detect the new cluster," he said.
Dr Noor Hisham said it was imperative for employers and the public, in general, to extend their cooperation by taking social responsibilities to conduct screenings.
"We advise employers to consider having their employees screened for Covid-19.
"This is a lesson learnt and we need to address this. It is not about the sector, but rather accommodation, where the workers live in confined and crowded places." he said.