THE authorities are calling on seven unregistered tahfiz schools and several other religious centres in Kuala Lumpur that had participated in a tabligh gathering to come forward for Covid-19 screening.

Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa hopes these participants will voluntarily step up for tests.

“We are asking those who attended the event to come forward,” he said at the Federal Territories National Security Council meeting in the city today.

“We also know where they live. If they don’t come forward voluntarily we will look for a way to meet them. We will track them down to help them.”

The gathering of at least 16,000 people at the Sri Petaling Mosque from February 27 to March 1 is linked to more than 500 of the 790 Covid-19 cases in Malaysia.

A man who attended the event has died.

Annuar said the authorities had the participants’ details from the organisers and wished to meet up with them soonest possible.

“We have also found that there were several associations (which participated) and that some of their members are UNCHR (cardholders). 

“I will be calling on the leaders of these associations to pass the message to their members (to come forward for screening). 

“This is not to punish them but it is their responsibility to come forward.”

He said the Health Ministry has screened more than 10,000 of the 16,000 participants while 2,000 more of them were foreigners who had already left the country. 

“We understand that they may not want to come forward because they are afraid that they will get arrested. 

“I want to ask them to come forward because this is an health issue and we seek their cooperation.” – March 20, 2020.