KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27– Kuching was classified a red zone today with 49 local Covid-19 infections reported in the past fortnight, as 12 new cases were detected in a village cluster in the Sarawak state capital.
Sarawakâs State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) reported that the 12 new infections in Haji Baki village in Kuching involved people aged seven to 75 years, including three primary school pupils and two secondary school students, as well as five adults and two senior citizens. Only one of them showed Covid-19 symptoms.
The Baki cluster in Haji Baki village reported 25 total positive Covid-19 cases so far. Positive cases in the village in Kuching were first reported on October 18, after which active case detection was undertaken by health authorities.
An Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) will be implemented in Haji Baki village from tomorrow at 6pm until November 10, where residents will not be allowed to leave their homes and all economic, educational, religious, social, recreational, and sports activities are to be halted, including closures of schools and places of worship.
Aside from the 12 cases in the Baki cluster, Kuching reported another four local Covid-19 cases. Three were close contacts of a positive case, while one was identified through active case detection — a local trader who worked at a popular trading area in the city.
Only one district in Sarawak — Kuching — is red as of today, while the remaining 39 districts are green as zero new local cases were reported in the past 14 days.
SDMC announced today that all entertainment and reflexology centres would be closed from October 28, after evaluation on Covid-19 cases in the state that have occurred in places with high risk of infection and with difficult monitoring of coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Yesterday, Sarawakâs SDMC said in a statement that out of the seven new cases reported in Sarawak, five were from the Baki cluster.
Two cases — Sarawak Patient 799 and 800 — had neighbours who tested positive with Covid-19, while Sarawak Patient 801 and 802 were family members of Patient 789 and Patient 803 was a son of Patient 802.
Senior Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob also separately announced today that an EMCO will be implemented in three residential areas in Selangor — Sungai Emas flats, and Jalan Emas 31 and 32 in Kuala Langat district; and Plaza Hentian Kajang in Hulu Langat district from tomorrow onwards till November 10.
So far, upon screening 1,044 individuals from the Sungai Emas flats, a total of 42 individuals tested positive for the coronavirus, while 63 individuals among 909 individuals that were screened from Plaza Hentian Kajang tested positive.
The Sungai Emas flats, Jalan Emas 31 and Jalan Emas 32 comprise seven blocks of flats and terrace houses with 1,300 residents. A total of 7,500 people live in Plaza Hentian Kajang.
During the EMCO period, all schools, economic sectors, and recreational areas will be closed and residents are not allowed to move out of the area unless for emergency purposes.
Ismail Sabri also mentioned that by this week, he will be announcing the standard operating procedures (SOP) for the upcoming Deepavali festival that will be celebrated on November 13.
