PM concerned on Sabah’s Covid
Published on: Wednesday, September 16, 2020
By: FMT
Bernama pic
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (pic) Tuesday reminded Sabahans to be cautious of the Covid-19 virus as the state election is less than two weeks away.He said Sabahans, especially those in Lahad Datu and Tawau, would need to be wary after a sudden spike in Covid-19 cases in the two districts.
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“As the state is facing an election, everyone would need to practise the new norms with more discipline.
“The election machinery will need to follow SOPs during campaigns,” he said in his special message on the current Covid-19 situation.
He urged people to stay away from crowded places and not to shake hands so as to stop the spread of the virus.
“I want to remind that everyone will be affected if the cases increase and we have to implement MCO (movement control order),” he said, adding that this would affect the daily lives of the people, and the economy.
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At the moment, he said people in Kota Setar, Kedah, were not allowed to enter or exit the town due to Covid-19 cases.
He hoped people would be disciplined and follow the new norm of wearing a face mask, washing hands with soap or sanitiser and keeping a physical distance.
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Malaysia Tuesday recorded 23 new Covid-19 cases, and detected a new Pulau Cluster. The 23 cases comprise 13 local and 10 import cases, which raise the cumulative number of cases to 9,969, with the infectivity potential at 632.
The 13 local cases are all in Sabah, involving 10 Malaysians and three non-citizens. The Health Ministry announced the emergence of a new Covid-19 cluster in Kunak, Sabah.
Dubbed the Pulau cluster, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said of nine individuals have tested positive for Covid-19 so far, with the index case being a 68-year-old local woman with comorbidity initially testing positive on September 13.
“The woman was found unconscious at home and brought to Hospital Kunak, and then referred to Tawau Hospital for medical treatment where she tested positive.
“She is currently warded at the Intensive Care Unit but requires breathing assistance,” he said during his bi-weekly press briefing here.
Kunak is a town and district in Tawau, Sabah. Following the test result, Dr Noor Hisham said close contact screening and active case detection revealed another eight new cases amongst the woman’s family members.
As of September 15, a total of 128 individuals have been screened involving 109 Malaysians and 19 non-Malaysians.
“Eighteen individuals have returned negative results while 101 individuals are awaiting their results,” Dr Noor Hisham added.
He also said the cause of the infection was still being investigated and measures to curb the spread of the virus from this cluster are being intensified.
Apart from the Pulau cluster, two major active Covid-19 clusters have emerged in Sabah in recent weeks — namely the Benteng LD cluster and Tawau cluster — involving detainees at a police lockup and prison.
Dr Noor Hisham also stressed that the public must comply with the stipulated standard operating procedures, in particular avoiding confined and crowded spaces.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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