KOTA KINABALU, Feb 2 — Four more schools and one private kindergarten in Sabah have been ordered closed by the state government after several Covid-19 cases were detected there.
The latest development means 10 education facilities have been shut in the state to date.
“The schools are SMK Sandakan, Sandakan Vocational College, SM St Cecilia and SMKA Tun Juhar,” Sabah Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said in a virtual news conference here this evening, adding that they are all located in Sandakan.
“Another private kindergarten was also ordered close, bringing the total to two. They are tadika Jati in Taman Harrington and the Kinabalu International school, both in Kota Kinabalu,” he said.
Last week, he had announced the closures of four schools in Sandakan.
Masidi said the state government is still getting information on the number of cases involved from the State Education and Health Departments.
Meanwhile, Masidi said that more than three quarters of the 118, 376 foreign workers registered in the state have undergone the mandatory Covid-19 testing so far.
As of February 2, only 26, 516 legal foreign workers registered with Perkeso have carried out the test. The screening was made mandatory as of January 1 this year.
Masidi said so far 659 of the 8,369 employers registered with the state Manpower Department had complied.
To ensure compliance, the Manpower Department, Department of Safety and Health (DOSH) and Perkeso have formed a task force and will conduct checks on Sabah employers who failed to send their foreign workers for the Covid-19 tests.
“They will visit premises to ensure employers observe the mandatory requirement for all their workers to be tested,” said Masidi, who is state Local Government and Housing Minister.
“Those employers who fail get their foreign workers tested by Feb 28 could see the work permits of their workers not renewed,” he said.
