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Over 600 Sarawakians were at Sri Petaling mosque gathering

KUCHING: At least 609 Sarawakians have been identified as participants of the recent gathering at the Sri Petaling mosque in Kuala Lumpur that has been linked to a number of Covid-19 cases, State Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said.

He said the actual number had yet to be determined as the committee was still scrutinising the health declaration forms collected from inbound passengers into the state between March 2 and 5.

“I hope those who have yet to report themselves to the nearest health department or hospital will do so immediately as this is very crucial for their own health and society at large,“ he said in a statement issued by his office this evening.

Earlier today, Uggah who is the state Deputy Chief Minister attended a closed-door briefing on Covid-19 situation in Miri where he was informed that 102 of those attending the religious gathering, held from Feb 27 to March 1, were from the city.

“For Miri alone, I have been told that some 74 of them (participants at the gathering) had turned up at the hospital here (to undergo health screening),“ he said.

Uggah also urged Sarawakians who attended the Borneo Ultra Trial Run in Kota Kinabalu recently to report to the nearest health department upon their return for screening.

He said this was very important as there has been more Covid-19 positive cases in Sabah than Sarawak. As of Sunday, Sarawak recorded 20 Covid-19 positive cases while Sabah had 49 cases.

Meanwhile, he said, 12 individuals were currently under observation at the Petronas Sports Village which had been turned into a quarantine centre for the Miri division.

He said that Miri Hospital had the personnel and equipment to face the Covid-19 situation, and was collaborating with private hospitals around the northern Sarawak city.

“I would like to assure the people in Miri and in the state that we want to provide the best for them,“ he added. — Bernama

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March 15, 2020
Malaysia gets special consideration in Singapore’s new travel restrictions

SINGAPORE: The new border restrictions on travellers including those from Asean do not include Singapore’s sea and land crossings with Malaysia, meaning Malaysians and Singaporeans can commute from both sides as usual.

Singapore’s Co-chair of the Multi-Ministry Taskforce on Covid-19, Lawrence Wong, said while the order applies to the whole of Asean, a separate arrangement has been worked out for Malaysia through the bilateral joint working group.

Special considerations have been put in for Malaysia because of the close proximity and high interdependency between both countries.

“We do need precautions to be taken, given the high volume of people and vehicles moving in and out of these checkpoints,” he said today when announcing the additional measures that Singapore would be taking on the Covid-19 situation starting midnight on Monday.

Effective March 16, 2020, 2359 hours, all travellers entering Singapore with recent travel history to Asean countries, Japan, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom within the last 14 days will be issued with a 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN).

Wong, who is also the National Development Minister, said that on land crossing alone 200,000 people move across the checkpoints daily and the imposition of a 14-day SHN requirement would be very difficult and very disruptive for both countries.

“So the 14-day requirement will not be practical for these travellers and we need to look at other precaution like checking their health. So discussions are ongoing between the two sides,” he said.

The latest travel order applies to Singapore residents, long-term pass holders, and short-term visitors as well but not those transiting in Singapore without leaving the transit area.

In addition, they will have to provide proof of the place where they will serve the 14-day SHN, for example a hotel booking covering the entire period, or a place of residence they or their family members own.

They may also be swabbed for testing for Covid-19, even if asymptomatic because of the risk of community transmission in the countries of their origin and evidence of cases that have been imported from these countries into Singapore.

In addition to the SHN requirement, from March 16, 2020, 2359 hours, all short-term visitors who are nationals of any Asean country will have to submit requisite information on their health to the Singapore Overseas Mission in the country they are resident before their intended date of travel.

The submission will have to be approved by Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) before travel to Singapore, and the approval will be verified by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at the Singapore checkpoints.

Short-term visitors who arrive in Singapore without the necessary approval will be denied entry into Singapore and they are therefore advised to secure the approval before making definitive travel bookings. — Bernama

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March 15, 2020
Singaporeans should avoid overseas travel, government says

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s health ministry on Sunday urged its citizens to defer all non-essential travel abroad in an unprecedented move for the Asian transport hub, as part of new measures to control the coronavirus that is fast spreading around the world.

Singapore will also tell all entering the country with recent travel history to the Asean group of nations, Japan, Switzerland or the United Kingdom to quarantine themselves at their place of residence for 14 days, the ministry added.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Countries, such as the UK and Switzerland have “abandoned” any attempt at containing the spread of the infection, said Lawrence Wong, a minister who co-heads Singapore’s virus fighting taskforce.

“That’s why we are more concerned that Singapore may well be exposed to a new wave of infections, which is potentially larger than what we have seen previously.”

The majority of new infections being reported in Singapore, an island nation with a population of 5.7 million, over the past few days have been people returning from overseas rather than local transmissions.

At least five cases of Singaporeans have been linked to a large religious gathering in Malaysia that was attended by more than 10,000 people from several countries.

Short-term visitors who are nationals of its Southeast Asian neighbours will also have to seek prior approval from the health ministry before their journey to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.

The restriction comes after a number of cases that entered Singapore with the specific purpose of seeking healthcare, the health ministry said. There have been two cases of Indonesians who had coronavirus symptoms at home before arriving in Singapore, known for its superior healthcare facilities.

The measures will be reviewed after a month. They will not apply to sea and land crossings with Malaysia, which will have separate precautions. Wong said 300,000 people a day move across the land checkpoints with Malaysia.

The Asian travel hub has previously announced bans on visitors from several coronavirus-hit countries, including China, Italy and France.

Singapore has won international praise for its painstaking onslaught on the virus since it initially emerged with one of the highest tallies of infections outside China. But other nations have since outpaced it.

Singapore has reported 212 infections, but no fatalities. Globally, more than 150,000 people have been infected while over 5,800 have died, a Reuters tally shows. — Reuters

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March 15, 2020
Govt to convene special Covid-19 meeting tomorrow to discuss further measures

JOHOR BARU: The government will convene a special Covid-19 meeting tomorrow to discuss further measures needed to contain infections, following the spike in cases to a total of 428 recorded until noon today, since the beginning of infections in the country.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba (pix) said apart from Health Ministry representatives, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and representatives of the Defence Ministry are also expected to attend.

“We (Malaysia) have now entered the ‘late containment’ phase”, he said, in view of the 428 cases recorded so far.

He told reporters this after observing the situation at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar here today. Also present was Johor Health Director Dr Aman Rabu and state Health and Environment Committee chairman R. Vidyananthan.

Adham said initial investigations indicated that most of the latest cases were linked to the ‘tabligh’ rally cluster – the rally had taken place at Masjid Jamek Sri Petaling in Kuala Lumpur, from Feb 27 to March 1.

He said a total of 190 new cases of the coronavirus had been reported until noon today, bringing the total number of cases to 428.

Adham added that the Health Ministry would invoke section 15 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 to track down and enforce health screening on rally participants who have refused to come forward to health authorities for testing.

“The ministry calls on those who were at the Sri Petaling mosque to contact the nearest District Health Office for further action,“ he said.

The minister added that from Jan 5 until today, a total of 6.8 million people comprising foreigners and Malaysians had undergone health screening at all entry points in Johor, and so far, no positive Covid-19 cases had been detected through the screening.

He also stressed that premises with individuals who have been confirmed to have been infected with Covid-19, should be closed by operators without waiting for instructions from the ministry. — Bernama

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March 15, 2020
Covid-19: MACC enhances preventive measures

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has enhanced measures for Covid-19 prevention implemented at all its offices across the country.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (management and professionalism) Datuk Junipah Wandi said among others, the commission had provided disinfectant liquid at the entrances of all its offices and premises.

Any officers or staff who have a temperature above 37.5°C would be asked to go the hospital, she said.

“We also issued a directive that those who have just returned from overseas are required to go for a health check at the Ministry of Health-designated hospitals.

“If they have a fever, flu and cough, even though it is not confirmed as Covid-19, they will be asked to undergo self-quarantine,” she told Bernama here today.

The World Health Organization had, on March 11, declared Covid-19 as a pandemic.

Malaysia, as at noon today reported 428 positive cases. — Bernama

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March 15, 2020
Covid-19: Management of Manjung mosques, surau urged to conduct disinfection

LUMUT: The Perak Health Department has urged the management of mosques and ‘surau’ in the Manjung district to carry out disinfection activities following the classification of two individuals from the area as Covid-19 Patients-Under-Investigation (PUI).

“They are only suspected cases but preventive action must be taken,” department director Datuk Dr Ding Lay Ming said in a statement issued today.

Ding was commenting in response to WhatsApp messages circulating since yesterday that the two cases in Manjung were said to be participants of the ‘tabligh’ (religious outreach) rally held on Feb 28 at the Sri Petaling Mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Meanwhile in KUALA TERENGGANU, all mosques and surau in the state have been encouraged to take the initiative to conduct disinfection activities to curb the spread of the virus.

Terengganu Religious Affairs Department (JHEAT) commissioner Mat Azmi Arshad said although the state had yet to record any cases, implementing preventive measures was very important.

“Besides that, it is hoped that the management of all mosques and surau are more observant of the congregation, advising those who are not healthy to go for a health check-up immediately,” he told Bernama when contacted today.

On the closure of a ‘madrasah’ (religious school) in Kuala Terengganu allegedly due to Covid-19, he said members of the public need not panic as the authorities had taken appropriate action. — Bernama

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March 15, 2020
BREAKING: 190 new coronavirus cases reported today, most linked to mosque event

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has recorded a sudden spike in the number of patients who have tested positive for Covid-19, with 190 positive cases recorded in one day as of 12pm today.

Health Minster Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said based on early

investigations, all 190 cases are related to a tabligh gathering that

was conducted at the Seri Petaling mosque.

“This brings the total number of cases since the Covid-19 outbreak

started to 428 cases, with nine people in the intensive care unit

(ICU) and we are currently on the late containment stage,“ he said at

a press conference after visiting the CIQ complex in Johor today.

He also said with the situation now, he will discuss with the Prime

Minister and Defence Ministry on the next move.

Adham also said that seven people have since recovered from Covid-19

and have been discharged, bringing the total of those discharged to 42

people.

He also said that as of Jan 5 until now, 6.8 million people have

gone through the immigration gates bordering Johor and Malaysia, and

there has not been any positive case detected so far.

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March 15, 2020
Covid-19: 41 new cases reported, tally now 238

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 41 new COVID-19 cases were reported as at noon today, bringing cumulative cases in the country to 238, Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

He said all 41 new cases were linked to the tabligh religious gathering, and they involved 37 patient under investigation (PUI) cases while four more are close contact cases.

“To date, a total 203 cases are still being treated, with five in the intensive care unit (ICU) and requiring ventilator support. The five are also being given anti-viral treatment.

“Also, as of today, a total 1,321 samples from influenza-like-illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) have been tested at the Institute for Medical Research (IMR), all public health laboratories and hospitals. Of those, three samples tested positive for COVID-19,” he said in a statement, here today.

In another development, two earlier cases (case 35 and 61) have recovered and have been discharged from the Sungai Buloh hospital, he said.

This brings the number of recovered cases to 35 so far.

Dr Noor Hisham also advised the public to remain calm and not to spread inaccurate information with regard to the tabligh religious gathering that took place from Feb 28-March 1.

Also, to prevent risk of infection on those from the vulnerable communities and those prone to infection, especially the Orang Asli community, the Health Ministry (MOH) is advising organisations or groups who have plans to conduct activities with these communities to postpone them, he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry will continue to provide health services to rural communities through outreach activities.

“The ministry also welcomes any form of medical aid, contributions or collaborations from any party, including non-governmental organisations,” he said, adding that offers or inquiries can be submitted through the ministry’s email cprc@moh.gov.my.

Meanwhile in an updated statement issued at 7pm, the MOH said a total 4,942 participants from the tabligh event at the Sri Petaling mosque have been identified.

Of these, 3,069 reported themselves in at Health Clinics for examination and screening while another 137 were referred to hospitals.

“Only 1,634 of them experienced respiratory tract infection symptoms and samples were taken, while 2,932 of them were asked to undergo home surveillance for 14 days from the last day of the gathering. Investigations and tracking of the event participants is ongoing,” the statement read. — Bernama

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March 14, 2020
Premier League ‘may not finish’, says FA chief

LONDON: Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has reportedly told the Premier League he does not believe the domestic football season will be completed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Premier League suspended all fixtures at an emergency meeting on Friday. Matches in the English Football League, FA Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship are also on hold.

“It was unanimously decided to suspend the Premier League with the intention of returning on April 4, subject to medical advice and conditions at the time,“ the Premier League said in a statement.

Clarke said at the meeting that he did not think it was feasible for the season to be completed, according to a report in the Times.

The virus is not expected to peak in Britain for many weeks, raising doubts over an early April re-start for the Premier League.

The Times said it is understood that Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber also questioned the brevity of the suspension.

Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, is reported to have said it would at least allow time to consider the potential consequences and debate the possible solutions.

The decision was taken after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for Covid-19.

Arteta welcomed the move to put the season on hold.

“Feeling better already,“ he tweeted. “We’re all facing a huge & unprecedented challenge. Everyone’s health is all that matters right now.”

Liverpool are 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League with nine games remaining, chasing their first English top-flight title for 30 years.

If results had gone their way this weekend they could have wrapped up the title at Everton on Monday but manager Jurgen Klopp said he supported the move to suspend football.

He said in a club statement: “If it’s a choice between football and the good of the wider society, it’s no contest. Really, it isn’t.”

Financial hit

Football clubs at all levels face enormous losses if the season is not completed.

One senior figure in broadcasting told the Times: “The commercial reality for the Premier League and (European governing body) UEFA is that if they don’t complete their seasons then they are in breach of their broadcasting contracts.

“You would have broadcasters from all around the world saying, ‘In that case we are not paying for the season.’ For the Premier League you are talking around £3 billion (RM15.75 billion) income a year from overseas and domestic TV rights. There would also be financial implications if the competitions were squeezed so fewer matches were played.”

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told the BBC that clubs, especially in the lower divisions, would be hit hard by the disruption.

“I think many clubs are going to struggle significantly,“ he said. “Many clubs are surviving on a match-to-match basis and are reliant on the loyal few thousand turning up.

“We have to consider the staff at clubs, they are reliant on the income they get from football clubs to pay their own bills as well.”

The Premier League clubs are reportedly due to meet again next Thursday.

There are matches taking place on Saturday in the National League – the fifth tier of English football – but a number of games have been postponed, including the Yeovil v Barnet fixture.

“We currently have four staff that are showing symptoms of Covid-19 who are following government advice and self-isolating,“ Barnet said in a statement.

“As a consequence, we have taken measures to put all first-team staff into self-isolation.” — AFP

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March 14, 2020
Sarikei MP admitted to Sibu hospital as PUI for Covid-19

SIBU: Sarikei Member of Parliament Wong Ling Biu (pix) of DAP has been admitted to the Sibu Hospital as a patient under investigation (PUI) for Covid-19.

Sarawak Health Director Dr Chin Zin Hing, when contacted by Bernama, confirmed that Wong has been admitted to the hospital and was a PUI.

Wong is said to have attended several political meetings in Kuala Lumpur from Feb 29 until last week following the political upheaval that led to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Sibu Hospital has set up three teams, comprising medical officers and staff, to operate an infectious disease ward, with each team to work a 12-hour shift per day, for any eventuality of positive Covid-19 cases.

They have been told to have their personal belongings packed and a new job roster has been arranged for them.

Deputy Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is the State Disaster Management Committee chairman, is expected to visit the hospital tomorrow to see the preparations made by the hospital.

Apart from the Sibu Hospital, the Kemuyang Youth Camp, about 21km from here, has been identified as another centre for quarantine of Covid-19 patients.

Sibu Medical Officer Dr Teh Jo Hun, when contacted by Bernama, confirmed the matter, saying it was still at the planning stage.

He also confirmed that a thermal scanner had been installed at the Sibu Airport to check passengers arriving from outside of Sarawak.

“The thermal scanner was installed on Feb 16. We have three staff at a time to operate the scanner,” he said, adding that there are two teams working two shifts for the purpose until 9pm daily.

Sibu Airport manager Zainuddin Abu Nasir when contacted said Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd had purchased two portable thermal scanners to check its employees.

Meanwhile, the Rector of Sacred Cathedral Reverend Father Philip Hu had urged the Catholics in Sibu to hold special prayer at 3pm daily to seek God’s mercy to end the pandemic and to pray for those who are ill with Covid-19. — Bernama

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March 14, 2020