GEORGE TOWN: Villagers staying near Jalan Kolam Ikan in Bayan Lepas here are staying clear of the housing estate where it is located.
This is because at least 10 houses there are being used as foreign worker hostels for a factory which reported positive Covid-19 cases recently.
A villager who only wanted to be known as Razi, in his 60s, said he had cautioned his children not to go near Jalan Kolam Ikan or patronise eateries usually thronged by these foreign workers.
"We have nothing against them, but with the Covid-19 pandemic lurking, and reports of positive cases in the factory where these foreign workers are working, it is better for us to keep our distance for now.
"We believe the positive cases have got to do with the Bayan cluster which the Health Ministry announced yesterday," he told the New Straits Times when met today.
Razi said there was a moment of panic in his village yesterday when they saw Health Ministry vehicles entering and exiting Jalan Kolam Ikan, conducting a sanitisation exercise.
He said they were then told that nearly 200 foreign workers, staying in several houses in Jalan Kolam Ikan, had been home quarantined and affixed with the pink wristband as they are believed to be close contacts of the positive cases.
He added that he then checked on the MySejahtera mobile application and learnt that there were positive Covid-19 cases reported within a 1km radius.
"Although the 1km distance seems far, we still fear for our safety. Also, who is monitoring these foreign workers to ensure they do not break their home quarantine? We hope their employer will monitor them closely.
"We also hope the relevant authorities will patrol the housing estate these foreign workers are in," he added.
Checks by the NST at Jalan Kolam Ikan showed it was all quiet, with most of the foreign workers staying indoors.
Some were seen going about their daily chores such as hanging out their laundry to dry while others were just hanging out on the porch, all with their masks on.
A Nepalese man, when approached from afar, said they had been told to stay at home since Friday for 14 days.
Southwest district police chief Superintendent A.A. Anbalagan confirmed earlier today that some 199 factory workers had been fixed with the pink wristband and quarantined at home.
However, he did not elaborate, saying further information could be obtained from the Health Ministry.
It is learnt that of the 199 factory workers, 87 were Nepalese men and 112 were Indonesian women.
Yesterday, the Health Ministry announced a new cluster in Penang, the Bayan cluster.
So far, six positive Covid-19 cases have been reported from the cluster.