KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — The As-Sofa Islamic High School (Stias) in Senawang, Negri Sembilan today confirmed that its 33 students have tested positive for Covid-19 following rumours on social media.

Its managing chairman Abdullah Abdol Razak added that the entire school premises have been cleared and sealed despite having been sanitised.

“Like what is being circulated on social media right now, one of the As-Sofa Institutions, the Stias in Senawang was tested when 33 of its students were confirmed Covid-19 positive yesterday.

“The results were obtained after testing was done on all staff and students of Stias Senawang after one of its students had tested positive for Covid-19,” Abdullah wrote on the Stias official Facebook page this afternoon.

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Stias Senawang is an all-boys religious boarding school under the As-Sofa group, which consists of educational institutions spanning from pre-school to college located mostly in Negri Sembilan and Selangor.

Information about the number of students enrolled at the school was is not immediately available.

Abdullah said that the everyone within the school premises were initially quarantined within the grounds with no one allowed entry or exit after the first Covid-19 case was detected.

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He did not give a date for the first case nor disclose how many students, faculty staff or if other people were affected.

He said the 33 infected students were later taken to a quarantine centre under the Health Ministry for treatment.

The other students were housed in a separate quarantine centre pending their Covid-19 lab results.

“Additionally, the entire premises of Stias Senawang has been sanitised and has already been sealed off and emptied completely,” Abdullah said.

Negri Sembilan Health, Environment, Cooperation, and Consumerism executive councillor S. Veerapan had earlier confirmed to Malay daily Sinar Harian that Stias had several Covid-19 cases, but stopped short of disclosing the number of people infected.

“It is true there is a student from the school who tested positive, but the actual number will be announced by the Health Ministry.

“I have been informed the District Health Office has conducted tests on all the students and staff,” Veerapan was quoted saying.

However, the Health Ministry has yet to issue any statement regarding the school.

Malaysia today recorded 847 new Covid-19 infections nationwide, bringing the total number of cases to 23,804 as of noon today.

Additionally, 486 more patients recovered and were discharged, while five more deaths were reported.