Tawau Prison enhanced MCO ends after more than a month

 

COVID-19 | The government has lifted the enhanced movement control order (MCO) at Tawau Prison and its staff quarters after more than a month since an outbreak of Covid-19 positive cases were detected within its compounds.

The enhanced MCO order was first enforced for two weeks from Sept 11 to 25 and later extended up until Oct 25.

Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said as of Oct 21, the Health Ministry had screened 1,250 Tawau Prison inmates and 1,196 staff at the Taman Ehsan prison quarters.

"To date, there are no more active cases recorded at Tawau Prison, and only two cases left under treatment from the Taman Ehsan prison quarters.

"In relation to that, the government has agreed to end the enhanced MCO at Tawau Prison and Taman Ehsan prison quarters on Oct 25 as scheduled," Ismail said in a Covid-19 update statement.

However, he added that both areas remained under the conditional MCO rules which are still in force across Sabah.

The two areas were also among the earliest in Sabah to be placed under enhanced MCO after a spike in the number of Covid-19 positive cases under the Benteng LD cluster.

Since it was first detected, the cluster grew to become the second-largest cluster with 1,085 cases, while the largest cluster - the Tembok cluster with 1,586 cases - is also linked to a prison outbreak in Kedah.

Meanwhile, Ismail also announced that the enhanced MCO at Pokok Sena Prison has been extended for another two weeks from Oct 24 to Nov 7.

He said this was as Health Ministry screenings as of Oct 22 continued to detect positive Covid-19 cases among inmates and prison staff.

Ismail yesterday also announced that nine prisons in Peninsular Malaysia will be placed under enhanced MCO until Nov 4, adding to the growing list of prisons placed under similar tightened restrictions.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said more stringent procedures will be put in place to prevent an outbreak of Covid-19 cases in prisons, including all new prisoners would be placed separately at gazetted temporary prisons. - Mkini