Plantation industries and commodities minister Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali said the government was considering lifting the freeze as they had received requests from the timber and plantation sectors to hire new foreign workers.

However, he said many plantation industry operators often provided crowded housing units that could cause Covid-19 to spread.

“If they are willing to follow the specifications stipulated for minimum housing standards, we can consider (their requests),” he told reporters after visiting a pepper farm at Felda Inas Utara here today.

He added that the matter had already been raised with the committee in charge, which will draft the relevant requirements.

Last June, human resources minister M Saravanan had announced a freeze on hiring foreign workers in all sectors until the end of 2020, to prioritise jobs for Malaysians.