PUTRAJAYA: The government has closed down three business premises for an indefinite period after their workers were tested positive for Covid-19.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the three business entities comprised a chicken factory in Negeri Sembilan, a supermarket as well as a construction site at Jalan Ampang.
He said the temporary closure was necessary to screen all workers for Covid-19 and to carry out cleaning and sanitisation activity at the respective premises.
"The first premises instructed to close was the chicken factory where its workers were tested Covid-19 positive. Second was the supermarket where the security guards were found to have contracted the virus.
"And third is a construction site at Jalan Ampang where Covid-19 patients were detected.
"As I have stressed before, if there are any Covid-19 positive cases among workers and if the health ministry thinks the premises should be shut, the government willinstruct the concerned businesses to (temporarily) close," he said at a press conference here today.
The chicken factory, believed to be in Pedas, Negri Sembilan, has recorded 60 confirmed Covid-19 cases to date.
The Health Ministry detected the cluster after a worker from the factory developed symptoms (fever, cough, flu, shortness of breath and headache) related to the virus on April 5. He was tested positive on April 12.
A total of 789 people (who are close contacts of the factory worker) comprising workers at the factory and family members had been screened for Covid-19. The test results for 286 were negative and the ministry is still waiting for the results for the remaining 440.
On May 7, the ministry announced that it had identified a new cluster of positive Covid-19 cases among security guards at a mall in Cheras, with 10 positive cases detected so far (nine Nepalese and one Malaysian).eSo far, 436 people have been screened for Covid-19, with 347 testing negative and 79 still waiting for their results.
The cause of the cluster was still being investigated, and all workers and close contacts have been screened.