COVID-19 in Malaysia: Construction workers assigned personal QR code at the labour quarters

Kuala Lumpur, 8 February 2021 – To curb COVID-19 transmissions at the centralised labour quarters (CLQs), Gamuda assigned a QR code that tracks workers’ testing records and control access to the CLQs.

Read: COVID-19 in Malaysia: CIDB to find temporary accommodation for construction workers

As a contractor in the Putrajaya MRT project—which include the underground works package for the over 50-kilometre-long alignment from Sungai Buloh to Putrajaya via Serdang—Gamuda has more than 16,000 workers under its watch.

They started routine mass screening in May 2020 with antibody test kits using blood sample collection, as well as antigen rapid test kits using nasopharyngeal swab samples, and eventually upgraded to the PCR method.

Read: COVID-19 in Malaysia: MMC Gamuda set up a laboratory with WHO-trained doctors and specialists

The in-house PCR lab has been running since November 2020, with a capacity to process 4,000 samples daily. To ensure that no one is left behind, each personnel is assigned a unique QR code that tracks their testing records and controls their access into work premises or centralised labour quarters (CLQs). This means anyone without a valid negative test result is automatically barred.

Read: SOP for construction works during the MCO 2.0

The management has tightened perimeters with controlled access and segregation at four existing CLQs that house almost 6,000 workers throughout Klang Valley. Workers only travel between their worksites and CLQs using dedicated transportation. Each residential block within the CLQ is isolated to minimise the possibility of cross-infection between residents.

There are dedicated centralised quarantine quarters blocks within each CLQ, where those infected can be safely isolated from the rest. Doctors standby throughout to monitor them and their close contacts. Food is provided daily and cooking is restricted.

– Construction+ Online

Source: GAMUDA