KUALA LUMPUR – Premises and locations listed in the Hotspot Identification for Dynamic Engagement (HIDE) early warning system are not confirmed Covid-19 clusters, said National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Instead, these premises and locations only have the potential to turn into clusters if pre-emptive action is not taken, he said.
“Premises listed under HIDE are different from the list of clusters issued each day by the Health director-general. Premises listed under HIDE do not need to close, except when directed by the authorities.
“The listing of these locations and premises enables pre-emptive intervention and appropriate action to be taken by the authorities, owners of premises and the public to prevent the emergence of new clusters,” he said in a statement today.
Recently, Khairy had announced that the government will list premises with a high risk of spreading Covid-19 infections.
HIDE, jointly developed by Bank Negara Malaysia and the Health Ministry, aims to giving early warning to prevent the spread of the virus based on data gathered through the MySejahtera app.
Khairy, who is also science, technology and innovation minister, said the first seven days after the listing of these premises are crucial as clusters could form during this period if no preventive measures are taken.
He said pre-emptive action, such as controlling people’s movements and conducting Covid-19 screening on workers, is the best way to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“If no hotspots emerge in the premises after the implementation of pre-emptive action, these premises will be removed from the HIDE list within a period of seven days after their listing. A list of premises removed from HIDE will be published daily.
“However, premises may be listed in HIDE more than once. This shows that control actions in these premises are not adequate. Premises frequently visited by the public that are congested and without good ventilation are at high risk of being listed more than once,” he added.
Khairy also said that, if possible, the public should postpone visits to the listed locations and premises, but if they cannot avoid going to these places, they must abide by the set guidelines and SOPs.
Based on the maiden HIDE list today, Kuala Lumpur has the most number of hotspot premises, followed by Selangor, Johor, Penang, Sarawak, Sabah, Putrajaya, Perak, Kelantan, Negri Sembilan and Melaka. – Bernama, May 8, 2021
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