COVID: 'Ngeteh' routine turns BESUT into red zone

KUALA TERENGGANU: The district of Besut turned into a red zone today after recording an increase of 24 COVID-19 positive cases for the Belaoh Cluster, bringing the total number of cases in the cluster to 49.

State Health Department director, Dr Nor Azimi Yunus in a Facebook post said the cluster which started in Kampung Bela Oh in Besut, was triggered by the residents' fondness of meeting up for tea or coffee (ngeteh) in coffee shops after prayers at the mosques and surau, and disregarding the set standard operation procedure (SOP).

"The district of Besut has turned into a red zone in the blink of an eye. Imagine if we don't implement the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) in the area.

"There is a possibility of a bigger cluster occurring in the Besut district due to the free movements of the high number of positive cases. Ramadan 2021 is just around the corner," she said, adding that the least the residents could do in respect of the tiring shifts put in by the frontliners was to observe the set SOPs.

There are currently 126 active COVID-19 cases in Terengganu, with the highest being in Besut (61) followed by Kuala Nerus (27), Kuala Terengganu (17), Dungun (13), Marang (four), Setiu (two) and Hulu Terengganu (two).

The Kampung Belaoh Cluster, which was registered on April 6, is a community cluster involving the districts of Besut and Marang in Terengganu, and the Bachok district in Kelantan.

The index case for the cluster was a 62-year-old man who was reported COVID-19 positive on April 4.

A total of 945 individuals have been screened to date, including residents in two adjacent villages, namely, Kampung PPRT Belaoh Baru and Kampung Keruak.

-- BERNAMA