Who should pay for testing

A number of industry associations have appealed to the government for help in getting their foreign workers tested for Covid-19.

This includes the electronics, construction and property development industries.

At least two million foreign workers are employed in those industries.

But is it fair for the entire testing bill to be borne by the government?

After all, the government, whose finances are already stretched, has agreed to fork out billions of ringgit as part of stimulus packages to boost the economy.

Furthermore, the government is bearing the brunt of the quarantine and treatment costs related to Covid-19.

These industries are not poor and the workers contribute to their coffers which run into billions of ringgit. As such, shouldn’t the industries be bearing some of the testing costs, if not all of it.

A leaf can be drawn from Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder.

He recently said the company’s shareholders should “take a seat” because the company planned to spend Us$4bil or more in the next three months on coronavirus-related expenses.

This includes investments in personal protective equipment, enhanced cleaning of facilities, less efficient process paths that better allow for effective social distancing, higher wages for hourly teams, and hundreds of millions to develop their own Covid-19 testing capabilities.

The Us$4bil spend will be equal to Amazon’s entire profit for the next quarter.

Its shares sank on the news. But the move shows the kind of corporate responsibility and vision that should be emulated by all profit making companies in these difficult times.