UPM denies lecturer who attended tabligh event flaunted health protocol

GEORGE TOWN: Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has denied claims that a lecturer who attended the Sri Petaling tabligh gathering carried on teaching without informing others he had participated in the event to which the bulk of Covid-19 cases in the country have been linked.

UPM vice-chancellor Aini Ideris said the lecturer showed no symptoms of the virus after being quarantined for 14 days by the university’s health authorities earlier this month.

She added that the lecturer had attended the tabligh event on March 1 but had not stayed for long. She said he left after two hours upon finding that the session in question was meant for those interested in going for a four-month preaching mission.

He was then ordered to quarantine himself at home for 14 days from March 12, in line with the health ministry’s advice.

He was also monitored by staff from the university’s health centre every two days.

As of yesterday, Aini said, the lecturer who is an associate professor had still yet to show any symptoms of the virus.

Due to new orders from the health ministry, she added, he had presented himself at the Kajang hospital to be swabbed for Covid-19.

“The hospital will call the lecturer and the university to inform if he tests positive for the virus,” she said when contacted.

“We deny claims that the staff did not follow the protocol set by the health ministry as we have done so from the get-go.”

Aini said UPM had also complied with the measures ordered by the ministry, including surveying all of its students through an online form to gauge their risk of being infected with Covid-19.

Yesterday, a WhatsApp message was sent to FMT claiming that the lecturer had failed to declare that he was part of the Sri Petaling tabligh gathering and that he had carried on teaching as usual.

The message also claimed that the lecturer had refused to get himself tested for the virus.

A total of 1,624 positive cases have been identified so far, with the virus claiming 16 lives as of last night. - FMT