SUNGAI PETANI – A lorry driver was fined immediately after he was found to be fetching a group of Covid-19 positive patients openly in the commercial vehicle yesterday.
The police detected that lorry at the Sungai Lalang area in Bedang after a video recording showing a group of foreign workers wearing pink wristbands boarded the lorry went viral.
The Kuala Muda District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Adzli Abu Shah said, the lorry was detected at 5.00 pm when they were on their way back from the Kuala Muda District Health Office (KPD) and heading towards a chicken processing factory in Sungai Lalang.
He said, based on investigation, the pink wristbands were newly put on the 48 factory workers who boarded the lorry back to their dormitory.
“Investigation found that their employer had arranged three trips for the lorry to fetch all 135 workers who are tested positive for Covid-19.
“The lorry that we detained was fetching the last group of 48 individuals back to their dormitory,” he said in a statement.
According to Adzli, the lorry driver was fined over offence under Section 23(2) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for Motor Vehicle License (LKM) for other purposes.
Meanwhile, the management of the factory is also being investigated under Section 22 (b) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) for disobeying the order issued by the authority and Section 270 of the Penal Code for malignant act likely to spread infection of any disease dangerous to life.
Earlier, a 19 minute video went viral, showing a group of foreign workers wearing pink wristbands were being chauffeured in a lorry. The video was recorded by civilians while the workers were on their way to the PKD Kuala Muda. –MalaysiaGazette
