THE large number of people living in cramped and crowded conditions is one of the reasons Lembah Pantai in Kuala Lumpur accounts for the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the last two weeks, said public health experts.

That and a lack of information on the specific areas where the infections are reported have made this a conducive environment for the spread of the coronavirus.

Lembah Pantai, now identified as a “red zone”, has a high number of people living in crowded conditions with poor sanitation, Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Mohd Khalib told The Malaysian Insight.

“Many of them are urban poor, making social-distancing measures a luxury,” Azrul said.

“The combination of these factors made for a conducive environment for the spread of the coronavirus.”

The “red zone” tag for Lembah Pantai is not confined to the parliamentary constituency but encompasses Seputeh and Bukit Bintang.

The area is home to the affluent, such as Bangsar and Damansara, and those in the B40 group in the many PPR and low-cost flats.

Director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the spike in the number of cases here is the cumulative number of infections from the areas under the enhanced movement-control order (EMCO) in the zone.

As of noon yesterday, the zone in the heart of the capital reported 592 cases.

Lack of information

Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil told The Malaysian Insight there was a lack of information on the affected areas in this red zone.

“We don’t have enough information on where these specific localities are although the Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Health Departments released an infographic, a rough breakdown, according to parliamentary constituencies,” he said.

According to the infographics, the parliamentary constituency of Lembah Pantai had 33 cases as of April 8 while the bulk coming from Seputeh, which reported 321 cases, while Bukit Bintang has 63.

The authorities’ reluctance to name the specific areas of reported cases is making residents nervous, unsettled and uncomfortable, said Fahmi.

This, he said, might prompt people to move out of their areas which will then defeat the purpose of the movement-control order.

The MCO is to break the chain the Covid-19, which to date has infected 5,182 and killed 84. The MCO is now in its third phase and set to end on April 28.

“At the same time, there must be some sort of communication to ensure people understand the dos and the don’ts and what happens if there is a positive case in that specific area,” he said.

Fahmi said it has come to his attention that some residential building managements are still unaware of the Health Ministry’s standard operating procedure (SOP) on what is to be done when a positive case is reported in the vicinity, especially when it comes to sanitation.

“Building management people have contacted me to say that they were not aware that there was a positive case until it was highlighted later.

“For example, if a case happens today, ideally the building management should be informed so that they can do some general decontamination.”

In the case of the public housing block in his constituency (Sri Pahang PPR), where two cases were detected, Fahmi said the building management reached out to him after receiving no guidance from health authorities.

This also helps to keep residents informed of the areas with reported cases to allay fear and panic as some may become worried when they see health officials in full protective suits and ambulances, he said.

“For example, in Bangsar, residents’ associations should be kept in the loop so they know that it is this area and this house.

“So they will know that it is not the whole neighbourhood (which is affected).”

While there is no information on where most of the cases in the constituency are concentrated, Fahmi said he estimates some of these positive cases to be at landed properties as well as high rises in Bangsar.

“But it would not account for more than a third of those cases in the Lembah Pantai zone,” he said.

“Everyone in Lembah Pantai is constantly on edge because this constituency is in the news as the zone with the highest number of cases for the last 11 to 12 days.

“So, it makes people feel even more stressed out whereas it may not be exactly in their locality. It might be 20km away.”

Why create zones?

Azrul said the classification is a tactical approach to optimise efforts and interventions when physical resources and manpower are limited.

This, he said, allows authorities to act in prioritised areas needing immediate attention and identify specific locations requring drastic measures, such as the EMCO imposed on the Selangor and Malayan Mansions in Jalan Masjid India.

“The classification should have helped in boxing in the infections. Whether it has helped will depend on what action was taken to remove and treat cases from the location,” Azrul added. – April 17, 2020.