KUCHING: The State Health Department on Sunday (Apr 4) declared three new clusters, namely the Tembok cluster in Sri Aman district, Sungai Mupong cluster in Maradong and Sungai Rassau cluster in Matu.
The State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the Tembok cluster involved detainees at Sri Aman Central Prison who had been prisoned since Mar 28.
“The first positive case among the detainees was reported on Apr 1.
“Of the 322 detainees who were screened,156 of them comprising 79 Malaysians and 77 foreigners were found positive.
“The remaining 166 detainees are awaiting the laboratory results,” he said in a daily Covid-19 press conference here on Sunday.
Uggah added 131 prison staff were also screened. To date, three of the staff were found positive, eight negative while 120 of them were still awaiting laboratory results.
He said that Sri Aman Central Prison had been gazetted as a Covid-19 treatment and quarantine centre (PKRC) for positive cases involving the detainees.
“Meanwhile, the hall in the prison is used as a PKRC for prison staff who are positive,” he added.
Uggah pointed out that the situation in the prison proved that Covid-19 cases spread rapidly when no social distancing was practised.
“This is the result when as many as 30 detainees are put in the same room.
“That is why 322 detainees or 48 percent were found positive for Covid-19,” he explained.
Uggah did not elaborate on the other two new clusters.
With the addition of three new clusters today, the state recorded 39 active clusters.
Eleven clusters recorded an increase in the number of cases.
Uggah also announced that the Jalan Ho Pin cluster had officially ended after no new cases were reported in the last 28 days.
