IT is the small gatherings in household settings that are fuelling the Covid-19 surge.

The director of the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) had raised the alarm more than a month ago when reports showed that the spread of the virus in the community (community transmission) had continued at social and family gatherings where observance of social distancing and mask wearing were not followed.

This was due to people assuming that family members and friends were “healthy” and not infected since they did not show any symptom.

Highly infectious asymptomatic individuals then infected multiple people in just a single gathering.

Size doesn’t matter. Anytime people from different households get together, the risk of infection increases.

An infectious disease expert warning that the Covid-19 outbreak in Kelantan could get out of control unless a lockdown or similar preventive measures is instituted at once echoes the same warning by the CDC that small household gatherings were causing a surge in new cases.

Kelantan could be the next Sabah, warns Universiti Malaya Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre director Professor Dr Sazaly Abu Bakar. 

The new cases in Kelantan are attributed to people travelling back to the state from places under a conditional movement-control order (CMCO).

As explained by the director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the interstate travel has caused the cases to spike.

“For example, those from clusters in Cheras, Klang Valley and Negri Sembilan returned and infected others,” he said. 

Now, with the year-end festive holidays approaching, what are the interventive and preventive plans for the country?

Once there is community transmission that is widespread, there is not a lot of good targeted interventions can do. – November 23, 2020.

* Hafiz Hassan reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.