By Karen Bong
KUCHING, July 18: The entire Stutong Community Market and Building will be closed until further notice.
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng revealed this when addressing a netizen’s question in a Facebook Live Session with MBKS Zone 6 councillors today.
“The whole building and not only the market will be closed until a date to be made known later,” he said.
On whether shoppers who have visited the market between June 27 and July 13 will need to undergo Covid-19 tests, Wee explained that only those who have symptoms like fever should go for the test.
“For individuals who do not show symptoms, they are not required to as for now, tests are for the market’s operators, hawkers and traders,” he added.
The Stutong Community Market has been declared a new cluster of Covid-19 after two new locally transmitted cases were reported today.
According to the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) in a statement today, the two cases were picked up following the active case detection operation on 56 hawkers and traders of the market.
Investigation for the source of infection is still ongoing and contact tracing is actively being carried out.
The State Health Department will conduct a follow-up screening on an estimated 200 business operators in the market.
The Stutong Community Market has come under surveillance after it was visited by the 18th fatal Covid-19 case who was a 72-year-old man with medical records of diabetes and hypertension.
Sanitising and cleaning operations has immediately been conducted at the market.
On another question related to Song Kheng Hai market, Wee said the council will provide thermometers to hawker centres under its jurisdiction to facilitate in taking down temperatures of visitors.
“So with that, there won’t be any more excuses like thermometer is expensive as not to comply with standard operating procedures (SOP),” he said.-DayakDaily
