KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 — The federal government today announced that it has decided to extend the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) for the Alor Setar Prison in Kedah by another two weeks until November 1.

Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob noted that the initial EMCO on the prison was for a two-week period from October 5 to October 18, but said that the EMCO is being extended due to the continued detection of new Covid-19 cases at the prison.

"Taking into account that there are still new positive cases and on the request of the National Security Council’s Kedah chapter and the Health Ministry’s advice, therefore the implementation of the EMCO in Alor Setar Prison is extended for 14 more days starting from October 19 until November 1, 2020,” he announced in a press conference streamed live from his home.

"This extension is to enable the implementation of continuous monitoring and screening in efforts to ensure the chain of Covid-19 is broken fully at the Alor Setar Prison, especially among the staff,” he added.

According to Ismail Sabri, the EMCO was first imposed on the Alor Setar Prison to curb the spread of Covid-19 there as well as to enable targeted detection of Covid-19 cases.

As of October 17, a total of 1,178 Covid-19 cases have been detected here, namely involving 1,137 detainees and 41 prison staff, he said.