BH journalist tests positive after returning from Sabah

PETALING JAYA: Berita Harian journalist Azrul Affandi Sobry tested positive for Covid-19 four days after returning from Sabah where he covered the state election.

Azrul Affandi, 42, said he could have contracted the virus when he was covering events unfolding outside Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s house in Kota Kinabalu on Sept 28.

“On that day, a large crowd of Shafie’s supporters gathered outside his house.

“Many of them were from the high-risk Semporna district and many were not wearing face masks, ” he said.

Azrul Affandi, who was in Sabah from Sept 10 to Sept 30, said a day after returning home he started coughing, had joint pains and felt weak.

He said swab tests were conducted on them upon arrival at KLIA on Sept 30.

“All the others who returned with me tested negative and four days later, I was found positive and taken to the Sungai Buloh Hospital at 11.30pm on Sunday, soon after the results came out, ” he said from the isolation ward of the hospital.

Azrul Affandi said he had taken pre-emptive measures to avoid exposing his family to the virus even before the results were known.

“Before I returned home, I asked my wife to stay over at her parents’ house together with our five children aged between five and 14.

“I did not want to take any risk. I stayed home alone in the house after returning from Sabah, ” he said.

Media Prima Berhad confirmed that a staff member from The News Straits Times Press (M) Bhd had tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from Sabah.

“The personnel had been under self-quarantine at home since returning, before being reported as a positive case, ” it said in a statement.