THE Health Ministry is ramping up its screening of tahfiz schools to curb the spread of Covid-19, said Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

The Health director-general said they received information that 8,616 tahfiz students may have come into contact with Covid-19 carriers

“We have screened 1,736 pupils and there are 217 positive cases.

“Some of them have also gone back home before the MCO. We now have to work together with the police to screen the tahfiz students,” he said at the ministry’s daily press conference in Putrajaya today.

On Monday, Noor Hisham said 195 Covid-19 cases had been traced to four sub-clusters linked to the tabligh gathering at the Sri Petaling Mosque.

He said health officials had worked with the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and the Sri Petaling tabligh shura council in tracing the sub-clusters to several madrasah and tahfiz schools.

The four sub-clusters are in Jerantut, Pahang; Penanti, Penang; Sg Lui, Selangor; and Jasin, Malacca.

Noor Hisham said of the 195 cases in the four sub-clusters, 92 have recovered or were discharged from healthcare facilities. 

Of those who have been released, 20 were in Jerantut, 67 in Sg Lui and one each in Penanti and Jasin.

Malaysia today reported 85 new Covid-19 cases, making it the first time in about a month that the country reported fewer than 100 cases in 24 hours.

With the new cases, the total number of infections is now at 5,072. 

One more death was reported today. – April 15, 2020.