Covid-19 cases in Perlis hit record high due to illegal interstate travel

 

Perlis bucked the national trend and saw Covid-19 cases soar to a new high yesterday due to interstate travel despite existing restrictions.

"The reason was due to illegal interstate travel," Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.

Perlis yesterday reported 200 new Covid-19 cases, the highest on record, almost doubling from its previous record of 113 on Sept 23.

Noor Hisham said that people from neighbouring Kedah had made unauthorised travel to Perlis.

He added that they may have taken routes bypassing roadblocks by the authorities.

However, he said 194 out of 200 of the new cases were experiencing no or mild symptoms.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah

Furthermore, he said the spike in Perlis was contributed by the Penyayang Jejawi cluster which made up 94 of the new cases yesterday.

The cluster was first reported on Oct 1 involving old folks home in Kangar.

Home quarantine also a reason

Meanwhile, Perlis Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force chairperson Azman Mohd Yusof also echoed the issue of illegal interstate travel contributing to a spike in Covid-19 cases.

He added that the state's approach of allowing people with mild Covid-19 symptoms to quarantine at home also contributed to the rise.

"Patients in Category 1 and 2 are allowed to quarantine at home because their condition is not serious but they can infect their family members," he was quoted as saying by Kosmo.

Interstate travel is banned except for special circumstances, such as for long-distance spouses or for parents to see their children who are 18 years old.

This benefit is only for fully vaccinated individuals.

The government plans to lift the ban on interstate travel once the fully vaccinated adult population hits 90 percent. At present, it stands at 89.1 percent.

Take precautions

Noor Hisham had urged people to take precautions ahead of the lifting of the ban.

"In the next couple of days, interstate travel restriction will be lifted. It’s important to take all precautions like wearing a mask, washing your hands and physical distancing even for those vaccinated.

"In keeping your loved ones and family safe, please do periodic saliva RTK Ag self-testing," he added.

 - Mkini