Johor polls: No polls-related cluster expected to occur - Johor Health Dept

Johor deputy health director (public health) Dr Shaharom Nor Azian Che Mat Din said there will be a rise in cases but it would not have a big impact, adding that the rise was due to the spread of Omicron variant that had a higher infectivity rate than other variants.

And the rise would not be drastic as the Election Commission and the Johor health department have disseminated information related to the standard operating procedure widely throughout the duration of the election, she said.

"As long as we comply with the SOP, I am confident that we can prevent the spread of COVID-19. The possibility of an election cluster is very slim but everything depends directly on everyone, including party machinery and the local communities, to prevent any spread," she said as a guest of Bernama TV's Suara Johor programme today.

She added that Johor had reported a rise in COVID-19 cases with cases averaging around 2,000 daily since February.

Most of the cases however, were asymptomatic or with minor symptoms, and over 95 per cent of cases were in category one and two, she said.

On the Health Ministry's preparations for polling day this Saturday, Shaharom Nor Azian said 2,393 health officers would be on duty at health camps.

In addition, 248 enforcement officers will be on duty along with the police to monitor SOP compliance throughout the election, she said.

Meanwhile, Johor environmental health chief officer Kayrul Hidayah Mansor said as of yesterday, 41 compounds valued at RM41,000 were issued to individuals and organisers throughout the campaigning period of the election.

From the total, 70 per cent of compounds were issued for failing to practise physical distancing, distributing pamphlets face to face (14 per cent), not scanning MySejahtera QR codes (seven per cent), not wearing facemasks (five per cent) and not conducting symptomatic screenings (two per cent).