Penang manufacturers well-prepared for MCO
14 Jan 2021
Most manufacturing companies in Penang are well-prepared for the second implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO), the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) said.
FMM branch chairman Datuk Jimmy Ong said ever since the end of last year when Penang was under the Conditional MCO, most factories have strictly observed the standard operating procedures (SOPs) imposed with the guidelines provided by the Minister of Health (MoH) and Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).
“Based on the five sectors that were allowed to operate during MCO 2.0, we believe the permission covers substantially all manufacturing companies except for non-personal protective equipment textile, footwear, ceramic and stationery,” he told Bernama on Monday.
However, he hoped the federal government would look into several issues faced by the manufacturing industry.
Ong said applications from some small and medium enterprise supply chains to operate during the MCO period were rejected, and he urged the authorities or MITI to approve them to enable the companies to carry on their business.
The federal government should provide clearer and comprehensive SOP guidelines in certain scenarios to ensure that factories would maintain their productivity levels, while ensuring the safety of employees from the Covid-19 pandemic, he added
“We want to know what a company should do when an employee is tested positive for Covid-19,” he said, adding that he feared that some companies might conceal information to avoid total closure of their facilities.
Meanwhile, Ong believed that the federal government ought to subsidise Covid-19 screening tests for all workers in order to identify and isolate infected cases as soon as possible.
“We feel that all companies should do mass screenings and the federal government could subsidise 50% of the costs for first-time tests,” he added.
Source: The Malaysian Reserve
