Enhanced MCO in Selangor red zones possible if cases continue to rise - Health DG

CORONAVIRUS | Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said if the red zones in Selangor continue to see an increase in new Covid-19 cases, there might be an enhanced movement control (EMC) order imposed on those areas.

He said this would be similar to the situation in Simpang Renggam, Kluang, Johor, where an EMC has been issued for two areas due to the high number of Covid-19 cases detected.

“If we continue to see the distribution of infections with the highest (cases) in Selangor, we have identified one or two zones [...] we will take action as we have done in Simpang Renggam,” Noor Hisham said in a press conference at the Health Ministry headquarters in Putrajaya today.

On March 26, the government announced they were implementing an EMC in two areas in Kluang effective midnight that day until April 9.

The order placed Kampung Dato’ Ibrahim Majid and Bandar Baharu Dato’ Ibrahim Majid in Kluang under a strict curfew for 14 days.

The order for the EMC was given to facilitate health officers who would conduct house-to-house checks to search for Covid-19 cases.

Under this enhanced order, all residents, including visitors already in the two areas, are to remain indoors.

All businesses were closed and food would be provided by the Welfare Department.

All roads in and out of the areas would be closed and non-residents would not be allowed to enter.

A medical base would also be set up in the affected areas while the police, armed forces, civil defence force and People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) would be mobilised to enforce the order.

For today, Noor Hisham said 97 of the new cases were in Kluang, with 81 of the cases coming from Bandar Baharu Dato’ Ibrahim Majid which involved four Sri Petaling clusters.

Another 77 other cases include second or third generation clusters who were not from the Sri Petaling cluster but may have been infected by someone who was at a mosque, he said.

Meanwhile, there were 16 cases outside of Bandar Baharu Dato’ Ibrahim Majid, with one being from the Sri Petaling cluster.

There have been no deaths so far from the Covid-19 cases in Kluang, he said.

“Our action in that area is to tighten the MCO (movement control order), and what is important is we will ensure we will disinfect everything and it will be followed by house-to-house checks and individuals who we suspect of being infected will be tested,” Noor Hisham said.

He announced that there were 150 new cases today and seven new deaths, bringing the country’s total of new cases to 2,470 and total deaths to 34 cases. - Mkini