By S BIRRUNTHA/ FILE PIX

Malaysia is currently at the beginning of the third wave of Covid-19, following a sharp increase in daily cases of the virus, Health DG Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

As of  Friday, the country’s new Covid-19 positive cases jumped to 287, involving all local transmission, ma also the highest number of daily infections, since the country was hit by the pandemic.

Dr Noor Hisham said however the situation is not only facing Malaysia but also many other countries around the world.

“What we need to do is curb it. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are already in place in all sectors. We hope the people abide by the SOPs,” he said in his Covid-19 press conference today.

Speaking on whether the government should reimpose the Movement Control Order (MCO), Dr Noor Hisham said the authorities have not decided anything on it yet.

He added that for now, the country will remain in the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO), allowing all sectors including economy, social and education to operate as normal.

“We have not yet decided on anything and we are keeping abreast of the latest developments.

“If the latest situation shows that the case is spreading rapidly, maybe we will take follow-up actions. So far, we are still in RMCO,” he noted.

Dr Noor Hisham said of the 287 new cases recorded in Malaysia today, 128 were from the Tembok cluster involving a prison in Kedah.

“While, 113 cases were detected in Sabah involving existing clusters in four districts which are currently undergoing the Targeted Enhanced Movement Control Order (TEMCO),” he noted.

He also said the ministry had identified two new Covid-19 clusters have been detected in Selangor, namely the Seri Anggerik cluster in Hulu Selangor and Seri Setia cluster in Gombak.

The increase in new cases yesterday have brought the country’s overall total to 11,771.          

There are now 1,540 active Covid-19 cases that are being treated at health facilities nationwide.  

Among the active cases yesterday, 22 were placed in the intensive care unit (ICU), with four of them requiring respiratory aid.    

Whereas, 81 patients have been discharged yesterday, increasing the total recovered cases in the country to 10,095, which equals to 85.8%.  

No new deaths have been recorded yesterday, as the country’s death tally stands at 136.  

Additionally, Dr Noor Hisham has urged Malaysians to learn a lesson from the rise in Covid-19 cases in Sabah, including the rest of the country now.

“This is what will happen if people do not follow the SOPs. The moment we let our guard down the virus will spread,” he added.

He also said that the public should not blame anyone for the resurgence of new Covid-19 cases, as it was the responsibility of all citizens to prevent the spread of the virus.

“The Health Ministry, as well as the government cannot fight the Covid-19 alone.  

“It is important to understand that the bigger responsibility lies on the shoulders of every individual regardless of rank, status or background,” he noted.

Separately, the police had arrested a total of 89 individuals for violating the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) regulations yesterday.

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri said of the number, 77 were issued with compounds while the remaining were remanded.

He said the arrests include 30 individuals for not wearing face masks, not maintaining physical distancing (29), and failure to provide equipment for registration (14).

“Other offences include violating the targeted enhanced movement control order (TEMCO), taking part in nightclub and pub activities, and operating business premises without licence.

“The operation task force led by the police had carried out 53,691 inspections yesterday to monitor and enforce compliance of standard operating procedures (SOPs) during the RMCO,” he said in a statement today.

Under Ops Benteng, Ismail Sabri said the authorities had detained a total of 22 undocumented immigrants and two boat skippers.

The senior minister said the authorities also managed to seize a boat and nine land transport vehicles.

He added that a total of 84 roadblocks were also conducted by the police together with the authorities from the Malaysian Border Control Agency (AKSEM) and Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM).

On mandatory quarantine, Ismail Sabri said a total of 38,843 individuals have returned to the country from abroad through the international check points since July 24 until yesterday.

He noted that all of them were placed at 65 hotels and 10 public training institutes (ILAs) nationwide.  

“Of that number, a total of 8,648 individuals are undergoing mandatory quarantine and 106 individuals were sent to the hospital for treatment.    

“While, 30,089 individuals have been discharged and allowed to return home,” he added.