CORONAVIRUS cases in the Bukit Jalil detention centre continued to rise with 55 new infections today, taking the total to 338.

Director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there were now 466 cases of Covid-19 in the detention centres, with the Bukit Jalil facility having the most cases.

”There are 338 cases in Bukit Jalil, Semenyih 66, Sepang 60 and Putrajaya two,” he said today at a daily press conference on the virus outbreak, in Putrajaya.

The Bukit Jalil centre contributed more than half of the 93 new infections reported in Malaysia today.

Thirty-six of the 93 new cases are linked to a chicken farm in Pedas, Negri Sembilan, bringing the  total cases in the cluster to 256. 

Fourteen Malaysians and 242 foreigners are infected in the Pedas cluster.

Dr Noor Hisham said to date 41,317 foreigners have been screened and 2,018 have tested positive for Covid-19.

Indians, Bangladeshis and Indonesians  make up the bulk of the infected at the detention centres. 

He said 123 Indians were infected, Bangladeshis (108), Indonesians (76), Burmese (66), Pakistanis (45) and Chinese (18). 

Dr Noor Hisham said employers must ensure that their workers maintain social distancing and follow Health Ministry guidelines. 

“We have often emphasised that there are several factors contributing to the spread of the virus among workers, such as accommodation, cleanliness issues and also the environment at home and at the workplace.  

“Infection among foreign workers needs to be addressed urgently. We are calling on the employers to play a bigger role in dealing with it.”