BAGAN SERAI, Nov 21 — Relief workers and floods victims seeking shelter at temporary flood evacuation centres (PPS) have been advised to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set.

Deputy Minister of Health Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said this includes physical distancing, adding that there are concerns that the SOPs would not be taken seriously at the centres.

"We should be aware that the ongoing third wave is from our own careless attitude, causing Covid-19 cases to rise.

"And that is why the government hopes the SOPs will be adhered to at the evacuation centres to prevent more infections,” he said when handing out aid to 142 flood victims from 60 families seeking shelter at SK Parit Haji Aman here today.

In another development, Dr Noor Azmi, who is also Bagan Serai MP, said screenings have been done on a group of foreign workers in Felda Gunung Besout, where cases of filariasis, a parasitic disease, have been detected.

Four workers there have tested positive for the disease so far and they are currently undergoing treatment, he said.

Besides screening tests done on workers, the Health Ministry has also conducted a risk assessment and found that Felda Gunung Besout and its surrounding areas had vectors capable of spreading the disease.

"The ministry will also screen the local community in Gunung Besout to ensure they are free from the disease,” he said. — Bernama