GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government has set an ambitious target for itself: to track down all Covid-19 cases in the state by April 14, when the movement control order (MCO) is due to be lifted.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the conditions in the state are favourable enough to ensure success in the undertaking.
“The MCO compliance rate has averaged close to 100% in the past week,” he pointed out. “This shows awareness of the MCO is high, thanks to a public campaign by the state government.”
The state also has sufficient infrastructure to help achieve this objective.
It has a network of 10 private healthcare facilities that have gained a reputation as leading referral centres for medical tourism.
Penang has recorded more than 100 Covid-19 cases so far, with one fatality.
All cases are believed to be from two imported clusters – the first from the tabligh event in Sri Petaling and the second from residents who had returned from abroad.
In his daily social media briefing, Chow said the state will work with Health Ministry to detect cases of infection within the MCO period.
He appealed to the federal government to secure Penang’s borders by reinforcing environmental, health and safety protocols.“This can help us cut the transmission rate,” he said.
In a related development, Universiti Sains Malaysia announced that it has designed a low-cost anti-virus showering tunnel.
Anyone walking through the tunnel will be scanned to determine his body temperature, as well as sprayed with sanitisers.
The tunnel is designed based on the needs of frontliners in the fight against Covid-19.
The dean of its Electrical and Electronic Engineering Learning Centre, Prof Dr Mohd Fadzil Ain, said prototypes have been install at the university’s health centres and its teaching hospital campus in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan.
He said USM is prepared to install the tunnel at strategic locations such as police headquarters, public hospitals and clinics.
The initial cost for each unit is only RM1,500.
