Various workers rights groups have cited that some Malaysian palm oil plantations are discouraging foreign workers from going home at the end of their contracts and are asking them to keep working as the novel coronavirus exacerbates a chronic labour shortage. Malaysia's two largest palm oil plantations have said that they are not forcing workers to stay, but are stressing the difficulties of repatriating migrant workers during the pandemic. Malaysian plantations have long faced accusations of mistreating migrant workers that comprise the vast majority of the work force in the palm oil industry.
See "Malaysia Palm Oil Workers Discouraged From Going Home at the End of Their Contracts", Mei Mei Chu, Reuters, December 11, 2020