More come forward with locations visited by Covid-19 patients

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CORONAVIRUS | Since Covid-19 cases in Malaysia spiked in the second wave of infections, the government has been under pressure to release the locations of infection.

However, the Ministry of Health is adamant that releasing the locations could lead to patient identification and stigma.

In the second wave, starting Feb 27, the ministry has released only the number of confirmed cases and if the cases can be traced to a known cluster.

This is unlike countries such as Singapore, which releases locations visited by those who tested positive, or Japan, the Netherlands and South Korea which release information of the number of cases per district or province.

The lack of information has created space for the proliferation on social media of fake lists purported to be of places where infections were reported.

Malaysiakini's checks found the lists include businesses where a staff member had close contact with a patient but later tested negative, and businesses which were simply taking precautionary measures by regularly wiping down surfaces in their premises with disinfectant.

Increasingly, more organisations have voluntarily published information when it is found that a Covid-19 patient had visited their premises prior to being tested.

They include a church, mosque, university, gym, schools, banks, state agencies and shopping malls.

Malaysiakini compiles these locations, as well as locations mentioned in verified news reports, in its Covid-19 tracker special page.

At the time of writing, 29 locations have been identified, almost all are in the Klang Valley.

All the buildings involved have been sanitised as per the Health Ministry's instructions.

To avoid infection, the ministry advises the public to regularly wash their hands and wipe down surfaces.

Those who are ill should wear a mask to avoid infecting others.

If you have symptoms and have been in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 or recently travelled to countries with a high number of cases, please contact the ministry hotlines below to find out how to get tested.

The symptoms are: fever, cough, sore throat or respiratory difficulties.

MoH Hotlines: 03-888 10200, 03-888 10600 and 03-888 10700 - Mkini