Abstract
PurposeThe paper highlights the process-handling during the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) in combating pandemic COVID-19 in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachMalaysia first issued an EMCO following a cluster that involved a religious gathering. The EMCO was issued to lockdown the area, undertake screening, treat positive cases and quarantine their close contacts. Active case detection and mass sampling were the main activities involving the population in both zones.FindingsOne hundred ninety-three confirmed COVID-19 cases were identified from the total population of 2,599. Of these cases, 99.5% were Malaysians, 31.7% were aged >60 years and all four deaths (Case Fatality Rate, 2.1%) were elderly people with comorbidities. One hundred and one cases (52.3%) were asymptomatic, of which 77 (77%) were detected during mass sampling. The risk factors contributing to the outbreak were contacts that had attended the religious gathering, regular mosque congregants, wedding ceremony attendees and close household contacts. Malaysia implemented an effective measure in the form of the EMCO to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, where the last cases were reported 16 days before the EMCO was lifted.Originality/valueThe residents’ compliance and inter-agency cooperation were essential elements to the success of the EMCO. A targeted approach using an EMCO should be implemented in a future pandemic.
Highlights
A new coronavirus, 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV, or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness
To stem the number of new cases, the government imposed a two-week Movement Control Order (MCO) nationwide, starting 18th March 2020, to 31st March, 2020, followed by the second-phase MCO that ran until 14th April, 2020, the third-phase MCO that ran until 28th April, 2020 and the fourthphase MCO that ran until 12th May, 2020
This paper describes the process-handling a localised outbreak of COVID-19 within at the Baru Ibrahim Majid (BBIM) area in the state of Johor, district of Kluang, Malaysia
Summary
A new coronavirus, 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV, or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness. COVID-19 spreads from person-to-person, and the risk of infection is higher for people who are close contacts of someone known to have COVID-19, for example, healthcare workers or household members. Other people at higher risk for infection are those who live in or have recently been in an area with ongoing COVID-19 spread. The second wave of cases began on 27th February 2020, and since the number of people affected by SARS-CoV-2 has risen to more than 1,000. As of 9th May 2020, Malaysia had recorded 6,535 COVID-19 cases, with 4,864 recovered and 107 deaths
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