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8 immigration detainees test positive for Covid-19

KUALA LUMPUR: Eight out of the 115 detainees at the Sepang Immigration detention depot have tested positive for Covid-19 as of noon today, following the second screening test done before their deportation.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said to date, a total of 1,477 individuals had been screened for Covid-19 at the Sepang Immigration Detention Depot, of whom 72 positive cases were identified.

"This is a repeat screening of close contact screening done on 115 detainees placed in Block C on July 10. All the positive cases of this cluster involved foreigners.

"They had previously been isolated in the detention centre and positive cases had been admitted to the hospital for further treatment, thus this does not bring the risk of transmission to the community," he said in a statement today.

On the Bukit Jalil Immigration detention depot active cluster, he said, 1,661 people had been screened, of whom 649 were detected positive and 1,012 negative.

Of the 649 cases, he said 646 were foreigners.

He said the Covid-19 positive cases detected at the Bukit Jalil and Sepang depots involve foreigners from 16 countries.

"Of the total positive cases in the two depots, 191 were Indian nationals, 173 Indonesians, 160 Bangladeshis; 91 from Myanmar, 65 Pakistanis; 12 Sri Lankans, five Nepali, five from the Philippines, four Cambodians, three from Eqypt, three Nigerians, two Vietnamese and one each from Laos, Libya, Syria and Japan."

Dr Noor Hisham had previously said the second screening test was among the required conditions before their deportation.

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