Heineken to resume operations in Malaysia amid coronavirus outbreak

The Malaysian Government has granted approval for Heineken to resume limited operations with minimal workers during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period.

Following the approval, Heineken Malaysia will now resume its operations and ensure the continued supply of its products to retail outlets that are allowed to operate during the MCO period.

The outlets include supermarkets, provision shops and convenience stores, among others.

On 24 March, the company temporarily suspended its operations in line with the MCO imposed by the government to curb the Covid-19 outbreak.

Heineken Malaysia said in a press statement that it will ensure full compliance with the government’s requirements and guidelines during the MCO period.

To ensure the safety of its workers, the company has implemented measures such as temperature screening, social distancing, and made workforce segregation mandatory.

The employees are required to wear masks at all times. Only essential staff, which is 10% of the company’s total workforce, will work to ensure continuous and uninterrupted supply of its products in the market.

All other non-essential workers of the company will continue to operate from home.

Reuters said that the government’s move to let Heineken resume operations during month-long curbs on travel and non-essential business drew anger from opposition lawmakers.

Meanwhile, Malaysia has recorded 3,662 coronavirus infections with 61 deaths. The country has ranked highest amongst Asian countries for the Covid-19 patient rate.

The first phase of the MOC was implemented from 18 to 31 March. The second phase, which started on 1 April, will extend until 14 April.