COVID: 27 schools in Johor closed

The closure involves 10 religious schools and 17 primary, secondary and vernacular schools.

State Education, Information, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman Mazlan Bujang said all 17 schools under the Education Ministry had been closed in stages over the past three days.

"The one-week closure is to allow all quarters involved to undergo COVID-19 screening and to give way for the sanitisation process.

"The public doesn't have to worry because the situation is still under control," he told Bernama, when contacted, today.

He said this in response to the list of 29 schools that have gone viral on social media for allegedly recording new COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, state Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Tosrin Jarvanthi said the religious schools involved were from four districts, namely Johor Bahru, Kulai, Kota Tinggi and Mersing, with the closure period of between four and 11 days.

"In Johor Bahru, it involves Sekolah Agama (SA) Tambatan Tinggi; Kota Tinggi (SA Taman Sri Saujana); Kulai (SA Taman Kota Kulai 2 and SA Taman Muhibah) and Mersing (SA Teriang, SA Tan Sri Abd Kadir, SA Bandar Endau, SA Semanyir, SA Belukar Juling and SA Pusat Air Tawar)," he said.

Last Monday, state Health and Environment Committee chairman R.Vidyananthan said a total of 159 students from five schools in Johor Bahru have been ordered to undergo COVID-19 screening at the One-Stop COVID-19 Assessment Centre in Pasir Gudang and Bukit Indah.

He said the move was made to prevent further transmission of the coronavirus in schools.