Masidi Manjun
KOTA KINABALU: The Local Government and Housing Ministry has directed all villages heads in Sabah to be vigilant in monitoring the pandemic situation in their respective areas.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, said that under the Rural Administration Ordinance (Sabah Chapter 132), village heads must inform the local authorities if there is an outbreak of Covid-19 in their areas.
They must also inform the heads of the local authorities such as Kota Kinabalu City Hall Mayor, presidents of the Tawau and Sandakan Municipal Councils as well as district officer/assistant district officer and the sub-district office immediately if a death occured in the village.
Masidi, the state government’s official Covid-19 spokesperson, said village heads are also required to report to the local authorities any individuals who flout the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the National Security Council to stem the spread of the virus.
“The cooperation and responsibility of all village heads is very much needed in order to assist the government’s efforts to control the spread of Covid-19,” he said.
Meanwhile, Masidi disclosed that one new Covid-19 cluster was reported in Sabah on Monday and it had resulted from a Hari Raya Aidilfitri visit.
The cluster was first recorded at the Tawau Health Clinic after the screening of a symptomatic 43-year-old man on May 23.
Two days later, 16 family members of the man who is a teacher at SMK Kinabutan 2 tested positive for Covid-19. From there screening of social contacts as well as from the workplace which was Agro Bank, also detected nine more positive cases, including three who were close contacts to one of the positive cases in the commercial bank.
Five new cases also made the cumulative total of 31 cases. Contact tracking is in full swing and the exact source of the infection is still under investigation, said Masidi.
According to him, Kampung Kuala Menggatal here as well as Jalan Klias 2 and Jalan Klias 3 in Kampung Klias Baru, Beaufort have been placed under Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) from June 2 to June 15.
“To date, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has conducted 102 screening tests in Kampung Kuala Menggatal and out of that number, a total of 10 positive cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 9.80 percent.
“While in Jalan Klias 2 and Jalan Klias 3, Kampung Klias Baru, Beaufort, to date, 20 positive cases have been detected after the MOH conducted 280 screening tests on the population in the locality.
“Having made a risk assessment with various agencies in the MCO Technical Committee and on the advice of MOH, the State Government agreed to implement the EMCO in Kampung Kuala Menggatal, Kota Kinabalu as well as in Jalan Klias 2 and Jalan Klias 3, Kampung Klias Baru, Beaufort,” he said.
The implementation of the EMCO is to allow the Ministry of Health to ensure early detection of the Covid-19 virus so that isolation can be done swiftly as well as screening for close contact to prevent movement and transmission of the virus from at-risk areas out of the locality.
Masidi also said that to ensure accurate information and efforts undertaken by the government reaches the community, the State Government allows all media agencies to operate during the two-week lockdown period and for all print media agencies in Sabah to carry out their printing operations as usual.
However operating hours for print media coverage and online media are from 7am to 7pm and application for additional operating time may be submitted to the State Covid-19 Disaster Management Committee.