CORONAVIRUS | The jump in Covid-19 cases in Kuala Selangor yesterday is linked to traders who visited the Kuala Lumpur wholesale market in Selayang, the Selangor Health Department said.
Thirteen new cases were confirmed in the district yesterday, 10 of which were concentrated in the Tanjung Karang locality.
The others were in Jeram and Api-Api locality. The Api-Api case was the first-ever in the locality since the start of the outbreak in January.
The Selangor Health Department said it conducted screenings among traders and wholesalers throughout the state after two traders were found to be Covid-19 positive in the Taman Megah and Jalan Othman markets in Petaling Jaya.
When contacted, Selangor health exco member Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said the infections also involved family members of traders.
"The traders bought items from the wholesale market and then infected their family members," she told Malaysiakini.
Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah confirmed the cases were linked to the wholesale market cluster, which yesterday recorded 36 new cases. Only one of those is Malaysian.
Earlier, he said contact tracing for the wholesale market cluster found cases involving out-of-state traders as far as Bahau, Negeri Sembilan.
27 cases in one construction site raise questions
The rise in cases among traders and wholesalers come amid the discovery of 27 new cases at the Pavilion Embassy construction site in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, raising questions of the nation’s preparedness to open up most sectors of the economy tomorrow.
Malaysia recorded 105 new cases yesterday, its first triple-digit daily increase since April 16.
“A 27 cases cluster during movement control order (MCO) is telling. We've been asking whether people are ready for conditional MCO. Perhaps the more apt question should be: 'Have we, as a country, been adequately prepared for post-MCO?'” said infectious diseases physician Dr Christopher Lee on Twitter.
He said it also shows social distancing was not practised in such settings even under the MCO.
Lee, who is former Ministry of Health deputy director-general for research, now serves on the Selangor government’s task force against Covid-19.
Covid-19: 27 new cases detected at construction site on Jln Ampang
Such settings an example of our weakest link. Social distancing not / couldn't be practiced, despite in MCO. Delay long enough to have a 27 case cluster. Imagine during POST-MCO?
thestar.com.my/news/nation/20…
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He also said that federal advice for businesses to delay opening up if they are not ready is “unrealistic” as many businesses will open regardless because livelihoods have been affected.
“If we had given them more time to prepare (perhaps weeks ahead) they will likely be better prepared come May 4,” he said.
The Selangor government said it will not open up all at once tomorrow and is seeking a staggered approach to avoid a “crash landing”.
Negeri Sembilan today also said it will not open all sectors and will continue to bar sporting activities and dine-in at restaurants.
Sabah and Sarawak will not follow the federal decision while Kedah said its executive council will meet on Tuesday to discuss the matter. - Mkini
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