Fourteen undocumented migrants have escaped from the Tawau temporary detention centre where a targeted enhanced movement control order (MCO) is in force.
The men escaped at 2am yesterday by climbing the perimeter fence, prompting a manhunt by the authorities.
Police managed to arrest seven of them and are on the hunt for the remaining seven, according to Astro Awani.
Police named the seven men as Aidal Girol, 42; Anwar Awal, 35; Basri Jumbli, 29; Mad Kadir Basir, 36; Dal Mujiral, 40; Talim Tipayan, 36; and Jaladi Benedi, 38.
They were believed to have entered Sabah illegally from the Philippines and Indonesia.
Tawau is the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak in Sabah.
The outbreak started from Tawau prison and eventually spread to various parts in the east coast of Sabah, giving rise to the Benteng Lahad Datu cluster which now has 976 cases.
Tawau prison was put under an enhanced MCO from Sept 11, and this was expanded to the rest of Tawau on Sept 28 as the coronavirus spread into the community.
Last month, a detainee from the Tawau temporary detention centre started a new Covid-19 cluster.
The detainee was deported to Zamboanga, the Philippines on Aug 27 but slipped back into Sabah on Sept 5 to see his wife in Kunak, infecting her and causing the Laut Cluster.
To date, the Laut cluster has recorded 113 cases, the fourth-largest in the third wave of Covid-19 cases.
His wife was confirmed to be positive with Covid-19 on Sept 8. It was unclear if the detainee was carrying the virus when he escaped from detention or was infected while in the Philippines.
The Tawau detention centre also recorded a Covid-19 case in June, during the second wave of cases.
Upko president Wilfred Madius Tangau, who is also the former deputy Sabah chief minister, expressed concern at the incident.
"This kind of incident (in a red zone) is very serious, especially when we are in the midst of combating Covid-19. How could this kind of incident happen?" he said.
A red zone is defined as an area which has 40 or more active Covid-19 cases.
As of yesterday, 292 Covid-19 patients are under treatment in Tawau.
Malaysia recorded 2,951 Covid-19 cases in the last week (Oct 3 to Oct 10), marking the worst deterioration of the Covid-19 situation in the country since the start of the pandemic in January. - Mkini
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