MOH mulls guideline to protect Green Zone

PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry is considering coming up with criteria and action plans for the green zones to prevent getting COVID-19 infection coming in from the red zones.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said such action plans would include a guideline on the do's and don'ts to prevent the spread of the virus in the green zones at the district and state level.

"In Sarawak for example, the roadblock has already started to stop people from Kuching which is a red zone from going to other districts," he told a COVID-19 media conference at the Health Ministry here yesterday.

Dr Noor Hisham also advised the public to avoid 'balik kampung' if possible.

Sometimes, one is not sure if the person is carrying the COVID-19 virus or not, he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said avoiding balik kampung exodus at the moment is also one of the ways to protect the elderly who are among COVID-19 high risk groups.

The elderly and those having comorbidity health problems such as hypertension and diabetes have antibodies not as strong as young people, he said.

He added that one of the considerations in protecting the green zones is using screening and testing including the Rapid Test Kit (RTK) antigen.

On the sharp increase in positive cases among workers of Top Glove factory in Klang, Selangor, Dr Noor Hisham assured the people in the area that the ministry is now actively tracing close contacts.

"This is to identify if there are new cases among non-employees of the glove factory. The factory has also been ordered to close in stages and we will screen 13,000 of the Top Glove workers. We hope to contain the spread of infection," he said.

Dr Noor Hisham also explained that the situation is still under control due to the implementation of the Enhanced Movement Control Order since Nov 17 at the locality.

"All positive cases have been admitted to the hospital and their close contacts have been quarantined to prevent infection," he said.

On COVID-19 prevention measures among flood victims, he said the ministry had developed a COVID-19 Prevention and Management Guideline in Flood Relief Centres to stem the outbreak.

He said COVID-19 screening is done if there is a positive case or close contact.

-- BERNAMA