SK Stella Maris in Tg Aru, Sabah, has been ordered closed after six pupils reportedly contracted influenza.

A notice on the closure, from tomorrow till next Tuesday, has been put up at the school.

The order to shut, issued by the Health Ministry, has made the rounds online, and parents started picking up their children at the school about 2.30pm today.

SK Stella Maris is the first school in the state to suspend classes amid the nationwide influenza outbreak. 

Sabah Health and People’s Well-being Minister Frankie Poon Ming Fung said the closure was decided on by the Kota Kinabalu Health Office, Bernama reported.

The Sabah Health Department will continue to monitor the issue closely, he said after the handing over of lion heads in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration to 40 Chinese associations by Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal today.

He was commenting on the school’s seven-day closure notice beginning tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Shafie said all parties, especially parents, should monitor their children’s health and take precautionary measures.

He said the government, via its Health Department, would strive to prevent the disease from spreading. – January 21, 2020.