Penang confident of Phase 2 as numbers dip

 

Jagdeep Singh Deo (foreground) at the City Stadium before the start of the mass screening. About 8,000 people signed up for the campaign today. (Bernama pic)

GEORGE TOWN: Penang said today its transition into Phase 2 of the national recovery plan and an easing of lockdowns are almost certain as the state has recorded numbers below the average of 217 Covid-19 cases per week, required under a new metric set by the federal government.

Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said if the average numbers exceeded the set metric, then stricter lockdowns will return.

The average 217 cases/week threshold for Penang was set by Putrajaya under a new formula to ease movement restrictions in states. The formula moves away from the national average of Covid-19 cases to determine if a state could ease lockdowns.

Other factors taken into account are for the states to have at least 10% of their population vaccinated and the ICU beds take up. There have been no exact metrics supplied for ICU beds take up, only figurative categories such as ‘adequate’, ‘moderate’ and ‘limited’.

Penang recorded a total of 1,174 new cases for the whole of last week from June 28 to July 4, giving it an average of 167 cases a day. The state has had 10% of its target population of 1.3 million out of 1.7 million vaccinated as of Saturday. However, there is no number available on the ICU beds as of now.

About 8,000 individuals signed up for ‘Penang Saring Covid-19’ screening starting at the City Stadium today.

Chow said with its present numbers primed to allow Penang to move to the second phase, he hoped more self-testing kits would be made available in anticipation of any future spike.

Meanwhile, state executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo said a new free mass testing initiative by the Penang government which started at the City Stadium here today saw about 8,000 people signing up.

A total of 40,000 free tests will be given by the state under its Penang Saring Covid-19 programme. The mass testing will then continue in Perai, Seberang Jaya, Penanti and Permatang Pasir.

Jagdeep said the new testing phase will continue on July 30.

Separately, Chow said the national food basket programme in his Tanjong parliamentary constituency will begin on Friday. The programme is financed by the RM300,000 allocation each MP receives to buy necessities for the poor in their constituency. - FMT