Case of students being compounded for not wearing masks solved

LARUT: The case of six Perak Matriculation College students in Gopeng which went viral after they were issued compounds for not wearing face masks has been solved, said Perak Health, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman, Mohd Akmal Kamaruddin.

He said the state government had held a meeting with the college, Kampar Health Department and Perak Health Department recently and had decided that the students did not have to pay the compounds.

''The case is settled and the students did not have to pay a single sen on the compounds imposed on them. So, they don't have to worry...I also met with the father of one of the students and told him that the case has been settled.

''I assisted to solve their problems because they will be sitting for an examination, I don't want their study to be disturbed,'' he told a media conference after visiting the Selama Health Clinic here, today.

On April 19, the story of the six students being issued compounds by the Ministry of Health (MOH) when they were found not wearing masks went viral.

The incident received various criticisms from netizens who questioned the action of MOH because the students were said to have been staying at the college for the past five months and were not allowed to go out.

They were said to have issued RM1,500 compounds to several students who did not wear a mask or placing it under the chin.

Meanwhile, he said 30 committee members of two mosques in Kamunting and Taiping were confirmed positive COVID-19.

He said of the total, 27 individuals were committee members and worshippers at Kampung Expo Mosque, Kamunting and three from Pokok Asam Mosque in Taiping.

He said investigation found that a committee member of Kampung Expo Mosque had gone to Pangkor and was involved in a 'tadarus' (group recitation of Quran) activity at a mosque.

Akmal, who is also Selama assemblyman, said swab tests were conducted on congregation members at both mosques to determine if they had COVID-19.

''The swab tests on the other congregation members are not known yet. Compulsory prayers at the mosques are only limited to the committee members,'' he added.

-- BERNAMA