Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh Pulau Gadong Covid-19 cluster Melaka state election tahfiz centre madrasah Kolej Vokasional Melaka Tengah Covid-19 cluster Jalan Tun Telani Cluster students vocational college HFMD hand foot and mouth disease infectious
Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh

By Reza A Hamid

MELAKA – 76 vocational college students from Kolej Vokasional Melaka Tengah, Bukit Katil, have been tested positive of Covid-19 allegedly due to non-compliance to the standard operating procedures (SOP).

The Health and Anti-Drugs State Exco, Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh said that the education institution has been ordered to close for a week since 14 January until this Friday (21 January).

As of yesterday, 71 male students and five female students were tested positive from the Covid-19 screening conducted on 176 individuals from the college since 14 January.

Close contacts screening detected 76 positive and 97 negative cases, meanwhile, three others are still waiting for result.

“The index case was detected from a female student who returned to the college on 9 January and started showing symptoms three days later.

“The infection happened because the patient with symptoms continued to attend classes and then, infected other friends.

“Risk assessment also found a big possibility of non-compliance to the standard operating procedures (SOP) at high-risk areas such as the prayer room and dormitory,” he said when contacted today.

Commenting further, Akmal said that the vocational college cluster has been declared as the Jalan Tun Telani Cluster by the Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday.

Disinfection works have been carried out by the Fire and Rescue Department since 14 January and the college is being monitored by the Melaka Tengah District Health Centre (PKD). -MalaysiaGazette

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