Three more areas to be placed under conditional MCO - Ismail Sabri

COVID-19 | Three sub-districts - Parit Buntar in Perak, Jimah in Port Dickson and Rasau in Terengganu - will be placed under a conditional movement control order (MCO) for two weeks from Nov 7.

At his daily Covid-19 briefing today, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this was decided by the National Security Council following a surge in Covid-19 cases in the three areas.

As of Nov 3, he said Jimah saw a total 11 Covid-19 positive cases while Parit Buntar recorded a total 12 cases.

"As for Rasau, the Health Ministry has conducted 2,823 Covid-19 tests after 25 positive cases were recorded there as of Nov 3," he said.

The decision will affect more than 113,000 residents in the three areas.

This comprises 24,540 residents in Jimah, 43,687 residents in Rasau, Dungun and the 45,359 resident in Parit Buntar.

Ismail Sabri also announced that two more detention centres would be placed under an enhanced MCO for two weeks from Nov 6 after a shocking surge in Covid-19 cases there.

They are the temporary detention centre in Tawau, Sabah, which recorded 440 Covid-19 positive cases as of Nov 4 as well as the Sandakan Prison and the staff quarters of the Taman Wira Prison after 111 individuals were tested positive as of Nov 5.

The lockdown at the temporary detention centre in Tawau will affect 1,603 detainees and 104 staff while the lockdown of the prison and quarters in Sandakan will impact 1,308 detainees and 297 staff.

Meanwhile, the enhanced MCO at Anjung Teduh Felda Sahabat, Lahad Datu, which was supposed to be lifted on Nov 6 will be extended for another two weeks to Nov 20, said the minister.

The Felda settlement recorded a cumulative 56 cases as of yesterday with 28 patients having since recovered.

As for the enhanced MCO at the Pokok Sena Prison in Kedah, it will be lifted on Nov 7 as no new cases were recorded over the past seven days, according to Ismail Sabri.

"As of Nov 4, a total 2,141 tests had been conducted with 376 Covid-19 positive cases recorded. Out of this, 324 patients have fully recovered and the rest, 52, are being treated," he said.

Similarly, the NSC has also decided to end the enhanced lockdown imposed on six localities in Semporna tomorrow.

The areas include Kampung Bangau-Bangau Darat, Kampng Bangau-Bangau Hujung, Kampung Halo dan Kampung Ubian, Kampung Panji, Kampung Air, Kampung Selamat, Kampung Simunul and Kampung Pinggir Bakau.

The enhanced MCO will also be lifted in Kampung Pengkalan, the sole area affected in Kunak.

However, Ismail Sabri said these areas will then revert to a conditional MCO, just like the rest of Sabah.

Sabah has been under a conditional MCO since Oct 13 as the government fights to flatten a third wave of Covid-19 infections.

The new wave came just as Sabah concluded its state election on Sept 26.