KOTA KINABALU – The discovery of a Covid-19 cluster at an immigration detention centre in Kota Kinabalu has raised concerns that the number of positive cases would continue to surge in the next couple of days.
There are no official data as to how many people are in Rumah Merah, which is the local slang for temporary detention centres for undocumented and illegal immigrants.
The Kota Kinabalu temporary detention centre, which is located in Telipok today recorded 57 cases, while 72 detainees tested negative for Covid-19.
In today’s briefing, the Health Ministry also did not make it public as to how many detainees were in Rumah Merah, or whether social distancing rules were adhered to.
According to public data on the Kota Kinabalu detention centre, the facility can accommodate up to 2,000 detainees at any one time.
A statement released by the National Security Council (NSC) in 2019 revealed overcrowding at all of Sabah’s detention centres – Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Sibuga and Tawau.
There were 7,200 detainees reported at the time.
With the discovery of the Rumah Merah cluster, the number of cases in Kota Kinabalu is expected to spike. – The Vibes, October 30, 2020
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