By Jessie Yeung, CNN Business
Crowded factories in Asia’s manufacturing hubs seemed curiously immune to coronavirus as it spread through most of the world last year.
By the end of 2020, Thailand and Vietnam had reported fewer than 200 deaths between them, and Cambodia and Laos didn’t report any at all.
But that changed this spring as many parts of Asia battled stubborn Covid-19 outbreaks that have infiltrated factories and other businesses critical to the global supply chain, threatening to disrupt the
already strained
The surge
in cases has forced manufacturing plants throughout the region from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia to China and Taiwan to halt production
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Decisive action needed to ensure business survival amid current challenges Pix for representational purpose only.
PETALING JAYA: The fate of the manufacturing sector and small and medium enterprises (SME) has reached a critical level.
Until and unless more streamlined and coherent requirements are put in place, they will likely go out of business, making any effort to revive the economy go to waste, according to industry players.
The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) sees a “disconnect” between what is considered an essential sector and what is not, while the Small and Medium Enterprises Association (Samenta) complained that companies are now given the run-around when seeking permits to resume operations.