'MCO might be reinstated if Covid-19 in Sabah worsens'

 By Olivia Miwil - January 6, 2021 @ 10:38pm

People in Sabah should remain cautious as the Covid-19 situation in the state has yet to improve. - NSTP file pic

KOTA KINABALU: People in Sabah should remain cautious as the Covid-19 situation in the state has yet to improve.

State Covid-19 spokesperson, Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said as of today, none of the districts in Sabah are free from infections with 19 red zones, three orange and the rest yellow.

"For the past few days, most of the clusters and new cases are due to festivities such as Christmas and the New Year. It is undeniable that we have been reckless in observing the standard operating procedures.

"Community infection has become a threat. More than 60 per cent of the cases are from close contacts exposed to Covid-19 positive patients," he said during a virtual press conference here.

Masidi added the authority would revise the SOP on festivities based on the current situation.

Yesterday, the state Disaster Management Committee urged the public to inform authorities should they attend any social gathering to allow relevant enforcement entities to take necessary action with regard to SOP compliance.

He added the relevant authorities are monitoring the situation and should it get worse, the Movement Control Order (MCO) might be reinstated.

Today, Sabah recorded 405 cases which brings the Covid-19 tally in the state to 38,960 cases.

A new cluster dubbed as the Kampung Pitas cluster in Tawau with 72 cases was detected after screenings were conducted at a wood factory.

Last year, he said Sabah recorded 112 clusters with 49 of them still active. Most of the clusters were found in Kota Kinabalu (27), followed by Tawau (20) and Sandakan (18).

The state capital has the highest number of cases at 9,345 while Nabawan only has seven cases.

Out of 5,142 children infected with Covid-19, 2,152 are under the age of five and 707 of them are below a year old. Four of them died.