Health DG: 14% of Covid-19 cases linked to inter-state travel

PUTRAJAYA: About 14% or 971 of the total number of Covid-19 cases have a history of inter-state travel, says Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah

He added that such cases were a concern to the ministry.

"About 18 clusters from a total of 48 clusters recorded in the country are linked to activities which involve crossing state borders. Ten of these clusters are still active," he said at the daily Covid-19 press briefings here on Sunday (May 17).

He said that such cases were especially troubling, as some have taken place even under the implementation of the conditional movement control order (MCO).

"Checks by the police on May 15 found that a total of 508 vehicles had tried to cross inter-state borders with the excuse of wanting to 'balik kampung'. This number has increased on May 16 to 1,248 vehicles that tried to cross interstate borders," he said.

He cautioned Malaysians to not slacken in adopting preventive measures, especially as Hari Raya festivities are around the corner.

"The public must be aware during the festive season because it may cause the spread of Covid-19 infections, especially in green zone areas," he said.

"We look at the experience of other countries, such as Iran. When they have a festival, many returned to their hometowns, and the number of infections had spiked," he said.