Cabinet committee to discuss Sabah COVID-19 situation ahead of polling - Ismail Sabri

SANDAKAN, Sept 20 -- The Special Cabinet Committee will discuss the spike in COVID-19 cases in Sabah as the state prepares for polling on Saturday, said Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the matter would be discussed at the weekly meeting on Tuesday.

“We do hold weekly meetings on COVID-19. But on the increasing cases in Sabah, we will discuss on Tuesday,” he told reporters after attending the Ziarah Kasih programme in Sekong, near here today.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today that 52 positive COVID-19 cases were reported in Malaysia in the last 24-hour period, 36 of them in Sabah.

As of yesterday, there was a positive case in Sandakan, three positive cases in the Bakau Cluster in Semporna, 399 positive cases in Tawau and 551 positive cases in the Benteng Cluster in Lahad Datu.

Asked on claims that a political party leader from peninsular Malaysia had tested positive for COVID-19 while campaigning in Sabah, Ismail Sabri said he had not received any official report on the matter.

“If it is true, the individual concerned will have to undergo quarantine and treatment until full recovery before returning to the peninsula,” he added.

Ismail Sabri reminded the people including politicians involved in the campaigning to always abide by the standard operating procedure set by the Health Ministry to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Some 1.12 million registered voters are set to go to the polls to elect 73 state assemblymen to the Sabah State Legislative Assembly.

-- BERNAMA