FIVE Covid-19 cases have been detected among vendors at the Kajang wet market, said Kajang assemblyman Hee Loy Sian.

A total of 261 workers were tested, he told The Malaysian Insight.

“All of them have been quarantined for 14 days. Even those who test negative,” he said, adding that the Hulu Langat district health office will make further announcements today. 

The wet market was previously scheduled to re-open tomorrow, but as vendors began quarantine on May 18, the closure is extended to at least June 1.

Entrances and exits to and from the wet market are currently blocked and vehicles are prohibited from entering. However, pedestrians are not barred from walking in.

The area around the wet market comprise of grocery stores engaged in wholesale business, and Hee believed that businesses will not be greatly affected.

“However, the crowd will definitely decrease because people are afraid to go there. But I think there are no problems, as long as you take precautions.”

The Kajang Municipal Council has tested seven markets in the area, and only the test results of the Kajang and Cheras markets have not yet been released. 

Hee said the council is currently preparing the latest guidelines for hawkers to resume business.

“In addition to requiring the vendors to follow the standard operating procedures formulated by the government, the council must also prevent crowding in markets.”

Among markets, the Kuala Lumpur wholesale market is the earliest confirmed case of Covid-19, where 13 workers originally tested positive.

The coronavirus then spread to other hawkers, family members and others, leading to 204 confirmed cases currently.

The Health Ministry has conducted targeted testing on vendors in 390 wet markets nationwide, testing 41,435 people. At present, there are 271 confirmed cases.

Yesterday, 172 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed, bringing a total of 7417 confirmed cases nationwide. No new deaths were reported yesterday, with the toll at 115. – May 26, 2020.