KOTA KINABALU, Jan 20 — Thirty-six students in the state have already been found to have Covid-19, said Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.

The Sabah Covid-19 spokesman said that the cases were all discovered from the mass screening on students who were due to return to their hostels to prepare for the STPM and SPM examinations.

"These 36 students were found to be positive for Covid-19 through the screening on all returning schools which began on January 16,” he said during a press conference here today.

Authorities first detected eight cases on January 16, but the figure increased each day.

Masidi said that the State Disaster Management Committee provides internet service at each quarantine and low risk treatment centre in the state so students who are being treated may continue to follow their studies online.

On how he rated the effectiveness of the movement control order now in its eighth day, Masidi said that it was still too early to come to a conclusion.

"It is still too early to judge the effectiveness of this MCO. If you assume the incubation period is ten days, then we can only see the effectiveness after 10 days of this MCO,” he said.

He was asked whether keeping the economic sector open was the reason that the number of Covid-19 continues to be high despite the MCO.

Masidi said that the high number of cases now was more likely the result from lack of SOP during the year-end festivities as well as the mandatory mass screening carried out in plantations in Sabah’s east coast.

"Give us a few more days to assess. For now, we have to find a balance between saving lives and livelihood. If people comply with SOPS in the workplace, they should be safe,” he said.

Sabah registered 406 new Covid-19 cases today, to the country’s 4,008. Overall, Sabah is still the second worst-hit state after Selangor with 45,008 cases cumulatively.