THE public should take more precautionary measures when visiting wet markets following more Covid-19 infections from the Selayang wholesale market cluster, said the Health Ministry.

“So far, we have not announced any other market (as having cases) but people should take precautions. 

“The public should take precautionary measures when they go to markets,” said Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in his daily Covid-19 briefing in Putrajaya today.

“(Precautions include) putting on a mask, practising social distancing and making sure they avoid contact with people. This is a general principle that everyone should practise. 

“Only by doing so can we break the chain of infections.”

Noor Hisham was responding to a question on whether the public should be concerned about the spread of Covid-19 among wet market traders that had contracted the coronavirus from the Selayang wholesale market cluster.

Earlier in his press conference, he said there were 17 new positive Covid-19 cases from the Selayang wholesale market cluster.

Eight are cases from outside the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) area around the market in northern Kuala Lumpur  involving traders from other markets who had come into contact with those at the Selayang market.

In total, 62 out of the 139 cases from the Selayang wholesale market cluster are from other areas. 

Among the markets affected include those at Jalan Othman and Taman Megah in Petaling Jaya, Chow Kit in Kuala Lumpur and Bahau in Negri Sembilan.

Noor Hisham did not say how many markets or traders were being screened at the moment.

“We are looking into the markets, the index case and then positive cases involved in the market but which are from elsewhere, such as Bahau.

“We have identified the areas beyond the Selayang wholesale market but we need to screen them.”

He said that the ministry is currently tracing traders who frequent the Selayang wholesale market, which is the main hub for distribution of fresh produce to other markets in the Klang Valley.

He said that close contacts and immediate family members of all the positive cases have already been screened or quarantined. 

“We hope that the traders will step forward and come to us and not wait for us to go looking for them.”

Apart from the Selayang wholesale market, there were an additional four new cases from the Selayang Baru EMCO area. 

There were no additional new cases at Menara Plaza City One (55), Selangor Mansion (175), Malayan Mansion (12) and Kg Sg Lui (158). – May 3, 2020.