PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry plans to conduct Covid-19 screening tests on all staff and residents of senior citizens care centres in stages as the group has been identified as high risk.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that the screening has already started at 17 care centres at Rumah Seri Kenangan and Rumah Ehsan under the purview of the Welfare Department.
He added that this will be followed at 357 care centres registered under the Care Centres Act 1993 and 26 nursing homes registered under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1988.
"The ministry has been informed that there are more than 1,000 senior care centres that are not registered under any Act.
"The district health departments have been ordered to identify the senior care homes including pondok agama institutions in each district to ensure that the coverage of Covid-19 screening will be more comprehensive," he said.
Dr Noor Hisham urged the public, especially senior citizens, to remain at home and only go out when necessary.
"They must also observe good hygiene like washing hands with soap, observing social distancing of at least one metre.
"This is to ensure that they will be able to break the transmission chain of Covid-19," he said.
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