KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will reintroduce all inter-district travel beginning May 27 to June 3, state Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said.

Masidi, who is also the state COVID-19 spokesman, said only movements by residents between Kota Kinabalu, Putatan and Penampang districts are allowed, while residents in other districts must remain in their respective districts.

"During the period, the police will conduct roadblocks, and only road users with police permits or valid inter-district travel documents will be allowed to continue their journey to the district they're headed to.

"The reason for the inter-district travel ban is to control individual movement and reduce physical contact to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Sabah and residents are urged not to try to travel to other districts because they will be ordered to turn back," he said in a statement here tonight.

Sabah, he said, will reinstate the inter-zone travel ban beginning today after the previous inter-district travel ban which began last Monday (May 10) ended yesterday.

Sabah will enforce an interzone travel ban according to six zones, with Zone 1 including Kota Kinabalu, Kota Belud, Ranau, Tuaran, Penampang, Putatan and Papar, while Zone 2 encompasses Beaufort, Kuala Penyu and Sipitang.

Zone 3 includes Kudat, Kota Marudu and Pitas; Zone 4 includes Sandakan, Beluran, Kinabatangan and Tongod; Zone 5 includes Tawau, Semporna, Lahad Datu, Kunak and Kalabakan while Zone 6 encompasses Keningau, Tambunan and Tenom, and residents are allowed to travel to any district within the zones set.

Meanwhile, Masidi said a new COVID-19 cluster was recorded in Sabah today, the Jalan Menteri cluster, involved seven cases in Penampang and two cases in Kota Kinabalu.

The index case is a 48-year-old housewife who as confirmed positive through a screening test on May 10 after showing symptoms and was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu here for treatment.

"Close contact screenings conducted by the control team detected eight positive cases...based on preliminary investigations, the index case was believed to have been infected after attending a religious event on April 28 and May 5 at Jalan Menteri (here)," he said.

Masidi also said that based on the Sabah state health department report, the number of new COVID-19 positive cases in the state today was 87 cases, bringing the state's total to 59,349 cases.

-- BERNAMA