Employers warned against hiding migrant workers, especially undocumented ones
Business owners are required to report the number of migrant workers they have hired, while officials from the Department of Industrial Works in each province have been instructed to keep a close eye on the state of foreign workers, Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said on Thursday.
“Business owners have been told to remain calm and not try to hide their foreign staff,” he said. “Shifting them to other areas will only increase the risk of the Covid-19 virus spreading from migrant workers to local people in other provinces.”
He further added that businesses that hire foreign workers should be socially responsible and employ Covid-19 preventive measures, including screening people coming from risky areas, ensuring everyone wears a mask and social distancing is applied in facilities.
“If you find a worker has contracted the virus, notify public health officials immediately so they can start investigating and can isolate people who have been in close contact with the patient,” he said. “The sooner we minimise the scope of the virus spreading, the smaller the impact it will have on the economy.”
As for news that some business owners in Samut Sakhon province, which has recently become a hotspot for infections, are moving their workers to other provinces to avoid inspection, Suriya said the ministry is looking into the matter. He said he believes these workers may have entered the country illegally.