Terengganu district now red zone due to defiance of Aidilfitri SOPs, says state health director

The Hulu Terengganu district turned into a red zone today due to recent violations of Aidilfitri SOPs.

Terengganu health director Dr Nor Azimi Yunus said the situation had been triggered by the selfish acts of individuals who had embarked on illegal interstate travel and gathered to celebrate Aidilfitri, with the result that Mukim Kuala Berang was placed under enhanced movement control order.

“Thus far, there are 124 Covid-19 cases from five active clusters in Hulu Terengganu, among others the LH cluster, involving an individual who returned home from celebrating Aidilfitri in Johor, causing 24 Hulu Terengganu residents to test positive.

“Another cluster in a residential area was due to another individual who went home to celebrate Aidilfitri in Bentong, Pahang, and visited the neighbours. In the end, six tested positive for Covid-19, while hundreds of others are close contacts,” she said in a Facebook post today.

A new cluster was also detected in Mukim Hulu Temelong, where the SOP violator, who was symptomatic, went to Melaka and returned home before spreading the infection to the office, causing 10 workers to test positive.

Nor Azimi said in Mukim Tanggol, 14 individuals who visited their family members following a death in the family in Marang also tested positive for Covid-19.

“It should be enough for one or two people to pay their last respects at a funeral, and adhere to the SOPs. The failure to do so has even caused the infection to spread to a nearby mosque, where the bilal and congregants tested positive,” she said.

Yesterday, Terengganu recorded 207 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths, bringing the total to 1,911 active cases in the state so far.

There are 11 patients still being treated in the ICU of the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital, with four patients requiring respiratory support.