Bashor Ahmad, a migrant worker who lives in Selangor Mansion, shares a 900sq ft apartment unit with 15 other people. Commenting to The Star, he lamented that social distancing is near impossible to practice in such living conditions. “Everyone has just picked a corner to sit in and we hardly speak to one another”.
Migrant workers around the world are among those most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and Malaysia’s is no exception. Citing Menara City One, the Selangor Mansion and Malayan Mansion flats as examples, Health Director General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has attributed new Covid-19 clusters among migrant workers to their dire and crowded living conditions.
More migrant worker Covid-19 clusters have since been reported, including one at the Selayang market, Pavilion Embassy construction site, and the Setia Alam construction site. As of 10th May 2020, migrant workers account for 17% of total Covid-19 cases in Malaysia.
The authorities are trying to avoid a Singapore-like surge of infections which was fed by viral spreading within migrant worker dormitories. In the immediate term, Malaysia’s government appears to be prioritising high-risk migrant worker groups by providing testing to those in the construction and security guard sectors in the Klang Valley. A Federal Territory directive to stop migrant workers from working in wholesale markets has also been issued, though this will be very costly if not impracticable.
Ultimately, the root of the problem – namely migrant workers’ living conditions – will need to be addressed.
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