ALOR STAR – Kedah is once again being exposed to a Covid-19 scourge similar to the deadly Tembok cluster last year, with more than 60 infections among detainees and prisoners over the past few days.
The state’s Health and Local Government executive councillor Datuk Dr Mohd Hayati Othman said the growing number is believed to be due to infected detainees from Selangor and Kuala Lumpur having been brought to Kedah for further investigation.
Hayati said most of the cases were recorded at the Alor Star and Pokok Sena prisons – the same locations for the Tembok cluster that shocked Kedah last year.
“So far we have taken steps by setting up a low-risk quarantine center in the prisons. But critical patients will be sent to the hospital,” he told The Vibes.
“I admit this matter is worrying but we hope it is not as bad as the Tembok cluster last year,” he said.
The Tembok cluster previously recorded a total of 1,132 infected detainees from Alor Setar prison and 320 from Pokok Sena prison last year.
The National Security Council (NSC) had announced the implementation of the enhanced movement control order at Alor Setar prison from October 5 to November 2 last year and at Pokok Sena Prison from October 11 to November 7 to curb the spread of the virus from the cluster.
Meanwhile, Hayati said screenings at several industrial factories around Kulim and Sungai Petani also contributed to the rising number of recorded Covid-19 cases in the state.
“Many cases occur due to previous clusters. The cluster is related to industrial factories and workplaces.
“So, I call on the people of Kedah to always abide by the standard operating procedures and maintain social distancing even if Kedah as a whole is not one of the states under the movement control order,” he said.
Kedah today recorded 97 new Covid-19 infections compared to 62 cases the day before. – The Vibes, January 13, 2021
