KANGAR – The last safe haven against Covid-19 fell when Perlis, the only state to have resisted the pandemic for the past five months, unfortunately caved in when 114 cases were detected yesterday.
Despite relentless efforts by the state and its religious affairs council, which had constantly reminded the congregation and residents here on the importance of prevention, a series of imported cases saw the state succumb to a fresh wave of infections.
Up until yesterday, the smallest state in the country had recorded 98 cases and one death since last March.
And now the Perlis government expects the number of new cases in the state to continue to increase, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man.
Azlan Man said that the state health authorities have obtained the close contacts of the 153 individuals who were earlier screened.
“I expect this number to continue to increase in the next few days when all screening results are obtained.
“In general, the increase in cases is due to the presence of asymptomatic individuals from the red zone, who travelled to Perlis last December.
“They came to Perlis either as tourists, returning to their hometowns here, or were attending feasts,” he said in a statement on Facebook today.
Azman Man said he was aware that the people of Perlis were very worried about the development.
“I am also worried, but I am confident that everyone involved can curb and deal with the spread of this epidemic, namely the frontliners, especially the health authorities, police, army, and others who are trying to do their best.”
He said, based on his monitoring, awareness on the risks of Covid-19 among the community here is high, which was why Perlis was able to last as long as it did as a green zone until the emergence of new cases last week. – The Vibes, January 19, 2021
