KOTA KINABALU – All schools in Sabah that are within the new Covid-19 cluster will be closed for two to three weeks, the Sabah government announced today.
Sabah Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun in a statement today said that the state’s Disaster Management Committee had on Wednesday decided that all schools involved in the new Covid-19 cluster will be ordered to close immediately for two to three weeks, pending confirmation from the Health Department.
School sessions for all students who will be taking major examinations will continue under strict standard operating procedures, he said.
Masidi said that as of today, there have been 10 Covid-19 clusters involving education institutions under the Education Ministry in Sabah, which is a cause for concern to the government.
“As such, proactive and preventive measures should be implemented immediately,” he said.
Masidi added that an official letter containing the said instructions had been sent from State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong to the Education Department yesterday.
Meanwhile, a new education cluster has been reported in the state today involving a primary school in Kota Belud, SK Dallas, after a woman who contracted the virus infected a student at the school.
A total of 22 people later tested positive in the cluster dubbed Batu 24 Nabalu, including teachers and students of the school.
The state also recorded a workplace cluster that started in a General Operation Forces camp in Kinarut, Papar, which had spread to Tuaran and Penampang.
The cluster, named Persiaran Palma, started when a 38-year-old worker in the administration unit of the camp was infected, and in turn infected 24 others including six new cases today.
Masidi said that the spread of the virus for this cluster could have started from a birthday celebration of staffers at the office on January 17.
Sabah’s Covid-19 cases have continued to rise in the past week, with fresh Covid-19 cases today climbing to 358.
Kota Kinabalu recorded the highest number of daily infections at 66, followed by Sandakan (41), Tuaran (39), Penampang (32), Beaufort (27), Tawau (24), Papar (22), and Putatan (20).
The state also recorded two Covid-19-related deaths in Keningau and Lahad Datu today. – The Vibes, January 28, 2022
