Health D-G clarifies issue over viral photos of foreign workers with pink wristbands

KUALA LUMPUR: Two photos showing foreign workers wearing pink wristbands still working at a construction site which recently went viral, are of those who had undergone COVID-19 surveillance screening at the construction site, and not of close contacts to positive cases, says Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said the individuals involved were given pink bracelets to prevent them from leaving the construction site.

"But they can still move within the construction site because it is a surveillance screening, not a close contact screening. The developer has been asked to ensure that everyone screened remains within the construction site area.

"Two security guards placed at the entrance of the construction site and police from the Wangsa Maju District Police Headquarters are also monitoring the area daily," he said in a post uploaded on his Facebook account yesterday.

He added that the developer was also advised to carry out disinfection works at the site, and the construction had been halted from Nov 13-15 for the process as for the results to be obtained.

"The release order (was given) and cutting of the pink wristbands was done at 11 am on Nov 15, 2020, at the construction site. The screening found only one positive case, but this case was not living on-site,” he said.

He added that there were eight close contacts to the positive case who were still undergoing quarantine from Nov 7 to Nov 20, while all other employees who were detected negative were given the release order on Nov. 15.

-- BERNAMA