KUALA LUMPUR APR.17: The Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) is imposed on 10 localities including two schools namely Sekolah Menengah Sains Machang, Kelantan and Sekolah Menegah Agama, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah effective from 18th April until 1st May 2021 following an increase in COVID-19 new cases in these schools.
Senior and Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said, the other localities under EMCO are Kampung Tengah, Betong District, Sarawak, Taman Mesra Bako, Kuching, Sarawak, three localities in Lahad Datu Sabah namely Kampung Bikang, Kampung Kadumu and Taman Khazanah Indah besides three residential areas in Tawau District, Sabah including Taman Hilltop, Taman Bukit Bintang and Taman Berkley.
In the case of Sekolah Menengah Sains, Machang, Ismail said, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has carried out 163 screening tests and out of which 11 have been detected with positive COVID-19 while the remaining 59 screening samples are pending for results.
MOH confirmed that the COVID-19 infection with high infectivity rate has occurred in the school and the implementation of the EMCO is to ensure the movements of the hostels’ occupants could be controlled and to prevent the corona virus from spreading to the other community.
Ismail added, for the Sekolah Menengah Agama, Kota Kinabalu, MOH had carried out 745 screening tests and out of which 55 positive COVID-19 had been recorded.
“After a risk analysis was carried out with several agencies in the MCO Technical Committee and with the advice of MOH, the government agreed to impose EMCO on the school effective 18th April until 1st May 2021.
“The implementation of EMCO will enable MOH to carry out targeted screening tests on those affected and to prevent COVID-19 from spreading to the outside community,” said Ismail.
However EMCO has been extended on the whole of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Kota Kinabalu Sabah and the three colleges involved are KK Tun Mustapha, KK Tun Fuad and KK Tun Pengiran Ahmad Raffae.
Ismail said, MOH had carried out 4,524 screening tests and out of which 28 positive COVID-19 cases were recorded at the locality.
“MOH has confirmed that the infection continues to spread among the hostels’ occupants while 1,956 screening samples are pending for the results.
“After a risk analysis was carried out with several agencies in the MCO Technical Committee and with the advice of MOH, the government agreed to extend the EMCO on the whole of UMS campus, Kota Kinabalu effective 18th April until 2nd May 2021,” Ismail said.
On another development, Ismail said, the Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed on Keningau of District, Sabah has been lifted on 18th April 2021 as scheduled following the decreasing trend in COVID-19 infection and the cluster is under control.
Ismail added, the EMCO imposed on Kampung Pagalungan Ansip, Keningau, Sabah is also lifted on 18th April as scheduled due to the decrease in the remaining active cases while the cluster is under control besides there is no screening sample waiting for the result.
EMCO is also lifted in Kampung Kalindukan, Nabawan, Sabah on 18th April 2021 as scheduled and five localities in the housing premises and villages in Pekan District, Pahang on 17th April 2021 except the Integrated Community Centre Pulau Serai that is extended until 22nd April 2021.
Earlier the imposition of the EMCO includes Taman Mentiga Jaya, Taman Perdana, Perkampungan Peramu Jaya 3, Taman Sepekan Makmur and Kampung Pulau Serai.
Ismail added, MOH had carried out 1,363 screening tests and out of which 17 positive COVID-19 cases were recorded in the five localities.
According to MOH, there is no new case reported and the results of the second sample tests involving 93 close contact persons are negative. – Malaysia World News
