COVID-19: Malaysia ready for 'exit strategy' if case remains one or two digits

Malaysia is poised to enter the 'exit strategy' phase of the COVID-19 crisis if the country's number of positive cases remain one or two digits.

However, according to Director-General of Health, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) still needs to be maintained for the COVID-19 monitoring and control process.

At the same time, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will propose to open more sectors in the future, he said.

"So, our monitoring and control requires Act 342 and possibly with the implementation of the controls, monitoring and supervision.

"When all sectors are open and monitoring is going well, we still have two or one digit (of new cases), we will be ready to announce the exit strategy.

“And this is what we call a 'soft landing' so that Malaysians obey the SOP (standard operating procedure)," he said at daily media conference here on Tuesday.

In a separate development, Dr Noor Hisham said about 800 inmates at the Berkat Block of the Sungai Buloh Prison would undergo screening tests after an inmate was found COVID-19 positive.

According to him, the MoH is actively looking for close contacts including staff in the prison.

"It is estimated that in one block, which is the Berkat Block, one cell may have 8 to 10 inmates. So, we will conduct close contact screenings on the positive case and prison staff.

"About 800 people will be screened and the active case detection activity is being carried out at the Sungai Buloh Prison," he said.