THE three new Covid-19 cases detected in Sarawak today were all from a new cluster in Kuching, which the state Health Department has dubbed as Iron. 

The cluster is centre around an iron fabrication factory in the Demak Laut industrial area on the outskirts of the city and its workers’ dormitory. 

One of the three detected today was a co-worker of the index case, while the second was a relative of a worker – detected yesterday – infected by the index case.

The third infection was a housemate of the index case.

All three were local males, aged between 22 and 25. 

The trio, together with one worker detected yesterday, bring the number of cases detected in the cluster to five.

The state disaster management committee, in its daily update on the pandemic in the state, said active case detection was mounted on Monday after the index case was confirmed on Sunday.

A total 237 people have been screened for the virus as at noon today. 

It said the result of the first test for 220 people returned negative while the result for 12 others was still pending. 

With the new cluster, the state now has six active clusters, the others being Greenhill, Baki, Jalan Abell, Seladah and Wisma Saberkas. 

All these clusters are in Kuching.

Meanwhile, the committee said its Limbang counterpart has mounted a two-day active case detection drive beginning today in the Banting housing scheme in the state’s most northern district of Lawas. 

The housing scheme has a population of about 1,000.

The drive was prompted after a male resident, who returned home on November 7 after quitting his job as a salesman at a Kota Kinabalu clothing store in neighbouring Sabah, tested positive for Covid-19. 

He was tested during the mandatory 14-day quarantine after returning from a high-risk area. 

He was only confirmed to be an infected person on November 12. – November 18, 2020.