by Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, April 27: Students returning to school for the new term next week are encouraged to wear face masks to protect themselves against the new Covid-19 variant, but it is not compulsory.
Minister of Health Dr Zaliha Mustafa said that her ministry has met up with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and are currently discussing the guidelines concerning the matter, with an announcement expected before the term begins.
“Our Health Minister will come out with the guidelines once I meet the Minister of Education, and together we will work to ensure that the children are safe, especially when parents and members of the public are concerned about the spread of Covid-19,” Dr Zaliha told reporters during a press conference after the Health White Paper Townhall Session for Sarawak Zone held at the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) today.
She said the current number of cases related to the new Covid-19 variant, named Arcturus, is low, and there was no need to panic.
“We have always encouraged wearing face masks, especially in crowded places, and we are monitoring the new variants as we must ensure that public health is safeguarded.
“The new variant spreads fast, but its symptoms are low risk. Do a self-test for Covid-19 if you get infected, and self-isolate immediately if infected,” she advised.
Dr Zaliha said there is a drop in Covid-19 cases reported in the country, and the trend in school clusters have also showed a decrease.
“The cumulative number of case for Covid-19 reported in the fourth week of this month during the epidemiology week 16/23 to 17/23 has dropped to 28.15 per cent from 2,800 cases to 2,014 cases,” she said. — DayakDaily
