Nancy speaking to the press during her visit to Sarawak Cultural Village today. On her right is Abdul Karim. – Photo by Roystein Emmor.
KUCHING (Oct 3): The federal Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture is still waiting for the full official report after a three-year-old reportedly contracted Covid-19 after visiting Langkawi, said minister Dato Sri Nancy Shukri.
“There are different versions of the story on how the child was infected with Covid-19. That’s why I think I think it would be safe for me to only share with the media once I receive the formal report,” Nancy said.
She added that she wanted to ensure that the report she received would not be conflicting with the reports compiled by other authorities regarding the matter.
“We also want to make sure it is not a false Covid-19 positive for the child. The second question to check is where did the child get infected,” she said during a visit to the Sarawak Cultural Village today.
Her visit to the Sarawak Cultural Village today was to announce the upgrading and improvement works of the tourist site.
Nancy also said that it was in the public’s interest for the report to be made public and the government will not hide information concerning the case.
She added that her ministry had been trying hard for the Langkawi tourism bubble to be a success with stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place as advised by the Health Ministry to avoid a ‘tourism cluster’.
Last Thursday, the Kedah Health Department had reportedly confirmed that a three-year-old child was the first Covid-19 case detected under the Langkawi tourism bubble.
Its health director Dr Othman Warijo said the child began experiencing fever the next day after arriving at Langkawi and the child was now undergoing treatment. The child’s parents and other close contacts were tested negative for Covid-19.
Accompanying Nancy on the visit was state Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.