Health DG: Half of Covid-19 cases in Selangor are from Hulu Langat

CORONAVIRUS | Half of the Covid-19 positive cases in Selangor comes from Hulu Langat, said Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

"If we look at Hulu Langat, the total positive cases are 300.

"In Selangor overall, we have more than 600 cases, so half of the cases are from Hulu Langat," Noor Hisham said in a media conference in Putrajaya today.

Noor Hisham was responding to a question on why Selangor recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases.

However, in the health ministry's media release given to reporters later, it says that as at 12pm today, Selangor has recorded 863 cases.

For the record, seven villages in Hulu Langat are under enhanced Control Movement Order (MCO) after the health ministry reported a spike in cases linked to the Sri Petaling tabligh gathering in February.

"Yesterday, there were 287 positive cases in Hulu Langat, but today the number has gone up to 300.

"Twenty-five of them are linked to the Sri Petaling gathering, while the rest are close contact cases and others," Noor Hisham said.

Hence, he said half of the cases in Selangor are linked to the Sri Petaling gathering and it has spread to the madrasah (religious) schools.

Asked if the ministry had tested some of the remaining 3,400 tabligh members, Noor Hisham said there's a possibility that they are abroad.

"Maybe they are abroad. We are continuously monitoring, and we hope they will come back and they will be quarantined for 14 days," he said.

Meanwhile, Noor Hisham also encouraged residential communities to play their roles in curbing the spread of Covid-19.

"For instance, a condominium committee can implement a screening for those entering the condominium.

"The guards at the guardpost can be tasked to do this," he said.

Noor Hisham also said the longhouse communities in Sabah and Sarawak, as well as the Orang Asli villages, have disallowed outsiders entry into their areas to avoid possible infections. - Mkini