SOP for entry of foreign workers approved - PM Ismail Sabri

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22  -- The Special Committee on COVID-19 Pandemic Management today approved standard operating procedures (SOP) for the entry of foreign workers to meet the needs of the plantation sector as proposed by the Human Resources Ministry (KSM).

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who chairs the special committee, said the SOP would be enforced in all sectors and approved on a case-by-case basis by the Foreign Workers Committee co-chaired by the Home Minister and the Human Resources Minister.

“The quota and the date of entry of foreign workers for other employment sectors are subject to the decision of the joint meeting between the Home Minister and the Minister of Human Resources," he said in a statement today.

Ismail Sabri said the SOP for foreign worker entry will cover four stages, namely pre-departure, arrival, post-arrival (quarantine period) and post-quarantine.

He said the SOP at the pre-departure stage requires the workers to be fully vaccinated in their country of origin, taking the Real-Time Polymerase Chain Response (RT-PCR) COVID-19 test 72 hours before leaving the country of origin, submitting their vaccination certificates, complying with immigration requirements and policies and other criteria set by the government.

Ismail Sabri said upon arrival, foreign workers were only allowed to enter through Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2).

However, Thai foreign workers working as crew members of local fishing vessels are allowed to enter via land routes such as Bukit Kayu Hitam, Wang Kelian, Betong and Rantau Panjang, he said.

He said upon arrival, they will also have to go through a special route for foreign workers. 

The prime minister said upon arrival, foreign workers would have to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine at a government-certified quarantine centre around the Klang Valley, except for Thai fishing boat crew members who are allowed to use quarantine centres near the specified entry points. 

He said RT-PCR tests should be taken on the second and fifth day of the quarantine period and if they test positive, category one or two cases must be isolated at private COVID-19 Quarantine and Treatment Centres (PKRC) while category three, four and five cases will be referred to private hospitals.

On the other hand, if the result is confirmed negative and their quarantine period has ended, foreign workers will be taken to the employer's premises using transportation provided by the employer, adding that they must complete all required procedures with the Foreign Workers Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (Fomema) and also comply with all SOPs set, Ismail Sabri said. 

-- BERNAMA