Covid-19: Mother's Day gathering sparks new cluster in Sarawak

KUCHING: A Mother's Day gathering has sparked a new Covid-19 cluster in Sarawak, says the state disaster management committee.

It said the Jalan Jambusan cluster involved a gathering at a home in Jalan Jambusan, Bau, in conjunction with Mother's Day, which fell on May 9.

"The gathering was attended by 26 family members from Bau and Kuching. A total of 50 individuals were screened and 17 tested positive.

"Another 26 tested negative and seven are awaiting results," the committee said in a statement on Monday (May 17).

The committee also said two other new clusters were identified at a workplace and a village.

The Jalan Sultan Tengah cluster involved workers at a resort at Santubong in Kuching, with six positive cases including two foreigners.

In Lundu, the Stunggang Melayu cluster was detected at Kampung Stunggang Melayu with eight confirmed cases from 121 individuals screened.

The committee also said Sarawak reported 433 new Covid-19 cases and one death on Monday, bringing the cumulative tally to 38,816 with 225 fatalities.

It said 62% of the new cases were recorded in Miri (69), Kapit (61), Sibu (48), Kuching (47) and Belaga (43), while 24 other districts reported between one and 29 cases.

Meanwhile, the committee said police were investigating a case of breaching standard operating procedures (SOP) during Hari Raya, based on photos uploaded on Facebook.

"The photos showed several people on Hari Raya visits in Kota Samarahan with no face masks and physical distancing.

"All the individuals in the photos will be investigated and issued with compounds," the committee said.