No new interstate clusters since Feb 1

PUTRAJAYA: No new clusters linked to interstate travel have been recorded since Feb 1 until yesterday (Feb 9) as a result of the implementation of the Movement Control Order 2.0 (MCO 2.0) which started on Jan 16, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.

From Dec 16 to Jan 30, he said the Ministry of Health (MOH) had detected 31 interstate clusters involving a total of 4,376 positive Covid-19 cases.

These cases occurred in eight states, namely Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan, he said.

Dr Adham said the cases of infection were from six initial states, namely the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Johor, Melaka and Sabah.

“This is a very good development as it reflects the effectiveness of stricter enforcement that has been implemented,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

“This development also demonstrates an increase in awareness among all parties and the effectiveness of complying with the crossborder restrictions, as well as the people’s adherence towards the new normal,” he said.

Dr Adham said the Bera and Lipis districts in Pahang had changed to green zones for the past two days.

“Therefore, my advice to the residents of Lipis and Bera is that they can implement the District Risk Reduction Programme (DRRP) in order to maintain the green zone status and prevent new Covid-19 infections.

“With no interstate clusters and no new cases, we expect about seven or eight more districts will turn to green soon,” he said.

With 10 days left before the end of MCO 2.0, Dr Adham said the MOH urged that the interstate ban be maintained.

“We have seen signs that cases have decreased even though there are still a lot of field tests. The country’s infectivity rate (RO) is now below 1,” he said.