TWITTER users have questioned why the Health Ministry had declared the Covid-19 cluster at a matriculation college as a workplace cluster and gave it a name that seemed to distance the college from the outbreak.

They are also asking the Education Ministry why the college, Kolej Matrikulasi Negri Sembilan in Kuala Pilah, has not been ordered to shut down and staff and students sent home.

User Lucius Maximus @lcsmxms asked why the Health Ministry is attempting to confuse the general public in its naming and tagged director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the Health Ministry and senior minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in the post.

He added that the government needs to be transparent in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic or the public will not be able to access information useful in helping to prevent the virus’ spread.

Another user, @adilahwahidd, said the Health Ministry could have just named it KMNS, the initials of the college.

The college is located between two residential estates, Taman Bukit Intan and Taman Bahagia Delima, leading to speculations that the ministry combined the names of the two areas for the cluster.

She also said declaring it as a workplace cluster gave the impression that a lecturer is the index case.

“Why categorise Intan Delima as a workplace cluster? Was it not a matriculation student who was the positive case?” @itsnssaa asked.

One Twitter user, who seemed to have a child at the college, said the college had been deafeningly silent on the outbreak.

“Even until now, there is no call from the college,” Norfauziah Omar @NorfauziahO said in her posting.

She also accused the Health Ministry of not being transparent by categorising the cluster a workplace cluster when clearly it broke out in the college.

A student, who goes by the name wkwkwk @whatsoever_15, had also asked Education Minister Radzi Jidin to consider giving students the option of going home.

He said in his post some students have “chronic diseases like asthma”.

“It’s so dangerous for them to stay here in this situation… Plus the internet is poor here.

“We can’t attend online classes with this kind of internet.”

Former education minister Maszlee Malik in his Twitter post yesterday had asked Radzi if the Intan Delima cluster involves the Negri Sembilan Matriculation College in Kuala Pilah.

Maszlee asked Radzi to explain why students and lecturers are still on campus despite the announcement of the cluster.

He said he was informed by “many parents and lecturers” that the cluster involves the college but needed confirmation. – January 27, 2021.