Health DG: Teratai most active cluster in the country

Leaving for treatment: Top Glove workers who tested positive for Covid-19 leaving with their luggage for Hospital Sungai Buloh at the Top Glove Klang workers’ dormitory, Taman Daya Meru.

PUTRAJAYA: The Teratai cluster in Selangor continues to see a massive spike in Covid-19 cases.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham said the cluster alone recorded 1,511 cases out of 1,623 in Selangor – 93.1% of the state’s total.

The Teratai cluster is currently the biggest and most active infection cluster in the country, recording a total 4,036 positive cases since Nov 7.

“Medical and public health assistance teams have been dispatched to the affected areas to implement preventative and control measures.

“This includes conducting large scale Covid-19 screenings, ” he said in a statement.

Dr Noor Hisham said while the government’s movement control order (MCO) during this third wave still allowed the economic sector to operate, employers must also contribute in controlling the transmission of Covid-19 in the country.

“The government’s approach with the enhanced MCO or the conditional MCO in selected areas was in the interest of both the health and economic sectors. The country saw the importance of life and livelihood.

“But the success of this strategy requires a high level of cooperation from employers to ensure workers, as well as work practices, are compliant towards the standard operating procedures (SOP), ” he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said for industries that employ many foreign workers, the onus is on them to give conducive accommodations and to ensure preventive steps are taken.

This includes ensuring checking workers’ temperatures and for symptoms before coming to work and having clean common areas.

Employers are also urged to ensure physical distancing among workers and prevent them from gathering in large groups or confined spaces. “The ministry urges employers to play a bigger role in fighting the Covid-19 transmission in Malaysia, ” he said.