School In Kedah Ordered To Close After A Teacher And 3 Students Test Positive For COVID-19
However, the Ministry of Education has yet to give instructions regarding the school's closure.
By Alyssa Pong — 19 Aug 2020, 12:23 PM
A school linked to the Tawar cluster in Kulim, Kedah has been ordered to close after a teacher and three of its students tested positive for COVID-19
The three students are classmates of a 13-year-old girl whose family member had contracted the virus.
Health director-general (D-G) Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah confirmed the closure in a press conference yesterday, 18 August.
"We have closed down the school and have actually screened and tested the students. Sanitisation has also been done in that location," Dr Noor Hisham said.
"I hope that within a week or two we will have managed to contain the infection in that area."
However, the Kulim District Education Office revealed that it had not yet received any instruction from the Ministry of Education (MOE) to close the school
Prior to the press conference yesterday, one officer from MOE told Malaysiakini that they were waiting on further orders from MOH.
"For the closure of the school, that is under the advice of MOH and the National Security Council."
A quick check of their official websites and social media accounts indicates that MOE has yet to clarify the matter.
Earlier in August, MOE revealed it would hold discussions with the relevant parties as to whether it is necessary for schools to be closed in affected areas
On 4 August, Education Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin told the Dewan Rakyat this after he was asked whether MOE plans to close schools in red zones, such as Kuching, Sarawak.
With this in mind, the Kedah state Disaster Management Committee closed five schools in the area for almost a month, starting from 2 August.
Bernama reported the Minister as saying, "Each case is different, as in Sarawak, more than 200 schools are closed but in Kedah, we only closed five schools based on the existing cases, risks, and how to deal with them."
Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham attributed the Tawar and Sala clusters in Kedah to the lack of physical distancing
The Health D-G linked the Tawar cluster to family members flouting standard operating procedures (SOPs) at a funeral, while the Sala cluster was due to an index case visiting a hospital with relatives.
Free Malaysia Today quoted the Health D-G as saying, "The COVID-19 infection was then spread to close contacts and family members of the individual."
The two newly recorded cases within the Sala cluster brings the total number of positive cases in the group to eight.
An additional case in the Tawar cluster means that there is now a total of 47 infections, making it the largest cluster of active cases in the country.
Keep practising social distancing and wash your hands often. Watch the latest update on the COVID-19 situation:
