At some shops, Covid status checks few and far in between

Some businesses have adopted a lax attitude towards the enforcement of Covid-19 SOPs, leaving the window of opportunity wide open for even those told to undergo home quarantine to enter their premises.

Checks by MalaysiaNow at some business premises including a large supermarket in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, found that those tasked with checking the status of customers at the entrance did not examine their MySejahtera profile before letting them in.

At several sundry shops, petrol stations and smaller grocery stores in the area, customers only had to scan the QR code and undergo temperature checks.

Similar situations were seen even at a large supermarket in Seremban 2 where the security guards at the entrance allowed all customers to enter without checking their status.

These checks appear to confirm an inconsistent level of SOP enforcement, raising questions over the safety of customers who risk being exposed to the Covid-19 virus while at such locations.

At other malls in Seremban, though, security was tight with customers asked to show proof of their low-risk status in their MySejahtera profile before being allowed in.

On Sunday, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said high-risk individuals placed under home supervision orders (HSO) and even some who were positive for Covid-19 were still checking into premises.

He said in Kedah, more than 500 MySejahtera check-ins by those who were positive for the virus or who had been placed under home quarantine had been detected.

Of these, he said, 18% had occurred at supermarkets in the state.

He said checks need to be tightened on the MySejahtera status of individuals at all premises, especially supermarkets, to ensure that such people do not enter.

Negeri Sembilan health, consumerism and environment exco S Veerapan said he had received no reports so far on such violations of HSO.

He said constant checks are carried out to ensure that similar incidents do not happen in Negeri Sembilan.

“In Negeri Sembilan, those who need to be quarantined are placed at quarantine and treatment centres,” he said.

“We also have centres for the placement of those who are awaiting their results after coming into close contact with Covid-positive people.

“If they test negative, they are free to go but if they test positive, they will be sent to a quarantine centre.”