COVID-19: Sports association meeting sparks new cluster in Sarawak

KUCHING: The Sarawak Health Department has declared the emergence of a new COVID-19 cluster in Sarawak, the Jalan Stadium Negeri cluster in the Kuching district.

State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) said in a statement today the new cluster was a social cluster detected following a technical meeting organised by a sports association in Jalan Stadium, Petra Jaya on April 30.

It said the index case of the cluster was a local male aged 65 years old and was detected through screening at the Petra Jaya Health Clinic on May 3.

He tested positive for COVID-19 on May 5.

"The index case was infected from the community and has spread the virus to the members who attended the meeting that day," read the statement.

As of noon today, a total of 55 individuals had been screened of which 17 tested positive and 38 people tested negative, said the statement.

Sarawak recorded 454 new COVID-19 cases today.

SDMC also announced the implementation of the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) at Rumah Empaling in Betong that started on May 7 until May 20.

-- BERNAMA