COVID-19: Over 300 tabligh participants in Sabah urged to undergo health check

He said Sabah police had been tasked to track down more than 1,000 individuals, of which 700 were successfully identified and underwent health screening.

“The cooperation given by the tabligh members in Sabah has been great, but the problem is that we do not know where the rest of congregation members are. So I am urging them to come forward immediately for medical screening to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.

"Don't be afraid because the police will not arrest them ... the most important thing is the health screening and if they are found to be healthy then they will be allowed to go home. We need to know the implications if the positive individual is still in contact with others,” he told a press conference here today.

Zaini said to date there was only one case recorded where an individual had refused to cooperate with the civil servants.

“The case was in Labuan involving an 80-year-old man who refused to adhere to the instructions for a health screening after a friend of his son tested positive for COVID-19./p

“When he refused to cooperate with the health authorities, they sought help from police and the man was arrested before being ordered to undergo health screening and quarantine,” he said.

Commenting on the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Sabah, Zaini said the level of public awareness had so far been increasing, but the compliance had not been satisfactory as there were still individuals who went out without reasonable purposes.

“Therefore, I have directed to increase the number of roadblocks and inspections throughout Sabah. To date 71 roadblocks have been implemented and I hope with more inspections, the percentage of public compliance will reach 99 per cent,” he said.

pHe said the Sabah police had not made any arrests in connection with the violation of the MCO as the roadblocks were only to advise the public.