Record new cases in Sabah, with 61% from close contacts

 

Mass screenings in two Sabah districts have uncovered 74 cases in two new clusters.

KOTA KINABALU: Compliance with Covid-19 prevention rules has continued to drop in Sabah as the state recorded 514 new cases today, the highest so far this year.

Cumulatively, Sabah has recorded 42,802 cases, placing the state behind Selangor for the most infections in the country. More than 2,800 are still being treated either in hospitals or low-risk treatment centres.

Local Government and Housing Minister Masidi Manjun said the high number of cases today was also a result of mass screenings held at Ladang Baturong in Kunak district and Ladang Matamba in neighbouring Lahad Datu. Both are new clusters in the state.

He said the state government has ordered all plantation companies to hold Covid-19 screenings for all staff and workers following the two new clusters, which contributed 74 cases today.

The plantations are also required to prepare health facilities as well as low-risk centres at their premises in the event any of their workers needed to be isolated, he added.

However, close contact infections provided 61%, or 314 of the new cases, which was also the case in previous days since the new year.

He said the compliance levels in most districts had dropped to 93%.

“In total, there are 19 districts with only 93% compliance (compared to higher before) … probably people are still taken by surprise over the movement control order (MCO) announcement,” he said, in his Covid-19 briefing today.

“But at the same time, this also portrays that as if we are not facing a health crisis. If we go to most towns, the observation is that many have a lax attitude that as though we don’t have a big problem. We need to take this issue very seriously. If we really love our family and friends, everyone must comply with the SOPs.”

Masidi said Sabah police chief Hazani Ghazali had also assured him that the police will not compromise on offenders, and would take action against people irrespective of their social status.

On another note, Masidi said the government has allowed all flour mills in the state to operate for 24 hours during the MCO but that they must only deploy a 50% workforce for any one shift.

Besides that, he said the government has also agreed to provide extra allocations for the purpose of food baskets. - FMT