ALMOST 50% of those screened for Covid-19 in the Kepayan Prison cluster in Sabah have tested positive for the virus, said director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today. 

He said to date a total of 1,208 individuals have been screened in the prison and 582 have tested positive, including 155 new cases today.

Noor Hisham said more screenings are still to be done in the prison.

“We still have more than 1,000 individuals to be screened in the Kepayan Prison,” he said in a press conference at Putrajaya today.

The prison and its staff housing quarters were placed under the enhanced movement-control order (EMCO) since yesterday.

Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the order would affect 3,511 individuals, comprising 2,914 inmates and 597 prison staff.

The EMCO in the prison will last until November 3.

Today Malaysia recorded 847 new cases, whereby Sabah accounted to 578 or 68.2% of today’s total.

The prison contributed 26.8% of today’s total in Sabah.

Sabah has so far recorded 9,859 cases since the onset of the pandemic.

Noor Hisham also said besides the Kepayan Prison, a total 13 cases were recorded in the Remand cluster in Penang, Tembok cluster in Kedah, and the Taiping and Tapah prisons in Perak. – October 22, 2020.