Health DG: Do not balik kampung as holiday season looms

This is to avoid the rise of infections among those under high-risk groups such as the elderly and those with chronic diseases

by S BIRRUNTHA / pic by RAZAK GHAZALI

THE Ministry of Health is urging the public, especially those living in red zones, not to balik kampung or return to their hometowns if there are no pressing matters.

Health DG Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (picture) said this is to avoid the rise of infections among those under high-risk groups such as the elderly and those with chronic diseases, as the Covid-19 cases are expected to continue rising towards the end of the year.

He added that the ministry is currently in the process of developing guidelines to protect “green zones” from turning red.

“If people from the red zones decide to return to their respective hometowns, they might carry the virus into the green zones,” he said in his Covid-19 press conference yesterday.

He also urged more individuals from the red zones to step forward and test for Covid-19.

Yesterday, the country set another record high figure with 1,884 new Covid-19 cases.

Of the total cases, 1882 were local transmissions and two were imported.

In Selangor alone, there were 1,203 cases, followed by Sabah (289) and Kuala Lumpur [KL] (196).

The increase of cases in the Klang Valley yesterday was due to the increase of infections in existing clusters.

The Teratai cluster involving Top Glove factory workers in Meru, Klang, recorded the highest increase in positive cases yesterday with 1,067 cases, while the Damanlela construction site cluster in KL recorded 101 cases.

Other states which reported new cases yesterday included Perak (81), Negri Sembilan (41), Kedah (36), Penang (12), Johor (15) and Kelantan (9). Putrajaya and Perlis both recorded one case each.

The increase in new cases yesterday brought the country’s overall total to 56,659.

There are now 13,842 active Covid-19 cases that are being treated at health facilities nationwide.

Among the active cases yesterday, 115 have been placed in the intensive care units, with 48 of them requiring respiratory aid.

A total of 883 patients were discharged yesterday, increasing the total recovered cases in the country to 42,480, which equals 75%.

The country had also registered two new deaths in Sabah yesterday, involving a 58-year-old woman and an 80-year-old man.

This has brought the country’s death tally to 337.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said four new clusters were detected yesterday involving several areas in the Klang Valley, Perak and Johor.

The cluster detected in the Klang Valley area is known as the Bintang cluster, which has infected 95 individuals so far.

The cluster involved a construction site in KL after a targeted screening was conducted from Nov 17 to yesterday.

The second cluster is known as the Indah Mas Cluster, which was identified in the region of Titiwangsa, Kepong and Petaling. To date, it has infected 41 individuals.

The third cluster known as the Teja Kasih cluster involves Kampar and Kinta districts in Perak had already infected 41 individuals.

The fourth cluster is the Kobena cluster in Johor Baru which has now infected 11 individuals.