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Govt sticking to targeted approach for COVID-19 screenings

May 15, 2020

The Health Ministry is sticking with its targeted approach when it comes to screening the population for Covid-19.

The Health Director-General says even though they now have increased testing capacity...they don’t think it will be effective to screen every Malaysian:

“If you want to test everyone, the next question is ‘how often do you test?’ Because if you test everyone and you isolate them, that’s fine. But they are still exposed in the community, and the virus is in the community. So instead of testing everyone, we focus on our targeted groups”

Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah explained that there are currently eight targeted groups for testing, including areas under the EMCO, those in old folks homes, tahfiz schools, and medical frontliners.

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Many tahfiz schools students yet to screen for COVID-19

Over a thousand private tahfiz schools nationwide have yet to come forward to undergo COVID-19 screenings.

These institutions have been urged to come forward quickly, as there’s a possibility infected students, especially those without symptoms, will infect others when they return to their hometowns.

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Talks to reopen places of worship underway

The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism is in talks with the government, regarding guidelines for non-Muslim places of worship to reopen amid the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.

It comes after several states allowed Friday and Aidilfitri prayers in mosques under strict SOPs, including limiting the number of worshippers.