[ad_1]
KUALA LUMPUR – Several shopping malls, offices, mosques and a golf course in Malaysia have been closed in recent days for decontamination work and contact tracing after cases of Covid-19 were detected.
Authorities have jumped into action amid a new surge in coronavirus cases in the past week, with these cases hovering around 300 a day in the past six days.
A record 691 daily cases were recorded on Tuesday (October 6), the highest level since Malaysia began its fight against Covid-19 in January.
Six deaths from Covid-19 were recorded on Friday (October 9), the highest in a day in Malaysia, to bring the total number to 152.
All six deaths were in Sabah, the epicenter of infections in the recent surge.
Selangor authorities said on Saturday (October 10) that the popular 1 Utama shopping complex in Bandar Utama and Tropicana Golf Club and Country Resort will be closed starting Sunday to check for Covid-19 broadcasts, The Star reported online.
The chairman of the Petaling District Disaster Management Committee, Johary Anuar, said that four positive cases were detected at the shopping complex and another five at the golf club. He said eight of the positive cases involved workers, while another involved a visitor to the mall.
Malaysia’s National Security Council later said that Utama 1 will close between October 12 and 18, as authorities conduct health screenings on 800 people working there.
The workers’ shelter at Tropicana Golf and Country Resort will be locked up for two weeks starting at 12:01 am on Monday (October 12), with no one being able to enter or exit except health workers.
Meanwhile, Setia City Mall in Selangor said Thursday that a member at a gym in the complex had self-declared a positive case for Covid-19.
“As part of our focus on health and safety, both Fitness First and the mall have immediately commissioned a specialized deep cleaning last night (October 8), in addition to our frequent and diligent cleaning and sanitizing procedures,” said the mall in a Facebook post. .
Shopping malls joined several others that have been afraid of Covid-19 as shopping malls and most businesses have progressively reopened since May.
On Thursday (October 8), the Selangor government closed a mosque at Malaysia’s former main airport in Subang Jaya after a man who visited it tested positive, Bernama news agency reported.
The Islamic Religious Department of Selangor (Jais) has suspended religious services at the mosque until further notice.
The man performed Friday prayers there on October 2, with officials asking others who were there to undergo a health exam or self-quarantine at home.
“According to records, the number of parishioners who attended Friday prayers that day was 1,310,” Bernama quoted Jais director Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad Shahzihan as saying.
A long list of places affected by Covid-19 was published on Thursday on the Malaysiakini news site, showing schools to housing estates, banks to restaurants in need of decontamination work and contact tracing after being visited by people who later tested positive for the illness.
On his Facebook page on Friday, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that the Education Ministry should be able to issue an order to close any school, without waiting for the go-ahead from the Health Ministry, if someone tested positive.
Malaysia reported 374 new infections on Saturday to bring the cumulative total to 15,096, the Health Ministry said. Three more deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 155.
[ad_2]
