Mount Kinabalu and the Taman Kinabalu area will be closed from today until Oct 8 for sanitisation, said Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry secretary Jamili Nais.

He said this was after a hiker to Mount Kinabalu from Sept 13 to 14 tested positive for COVID-19 and the Health Ministry issued a closing order notice to the Taman Kinabalu headquarters in Kundasang.

"The COVID-19 centre was opened in Taman Kinabalu for the purpose of contagion prevention operations involving COVID-19 screening tests on the close contacts of the climber comprising mountain guides, public climbers and park staff, as well as private companies involved in climbing activities.

"A comprehensive decontamination operation was carried out on tourist facilities along the climbing route to Mount Kinabalu, including at Panabalan substation (base camp) during the closing period," he said in a statement here today.

Following the surge in COVID-19 cases on the east coast of the state, the state park agency Sabah Parks is carrying out sanitisation operations at Taman Bukit Tawau, Taman Marin Tun Sakaran and Taman Pulau Sipadan for seven days, ending Sept 30.

"These three parks will not be open to visitors and the public during the operation.

"However, other parks that are free from symptoms of the COVID-19 transmission, namely Taman Tunku Abdul Rahman, Taman Pulau Penyu, Taman Banjaran Crocker, Taman Pulau Tiga and Taman Tun Mustapha are still open to the public," said Jamili.

He added that the Poring Hot Springs, and Serinsim, Sayab, Monggis and Nalapak substations (outposts) are still free of Covid-19 cases and are open to the public.

-- BERNAMA