By Norrasyidah Arshad
SHAH ALAM, May 8 — The Selangor targetted Covid-19 community screening will resume its operations, focusing on testing residents at senior folks’ care centres as well orphanages at the coronavirus hotspots across the state, says Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
The Menteri Besar said the programme will focus on senior citizens and children, including the residents of senior folks’ homes that are not registered under the Social Welfare Department.
“What is important is for the screenings to be done. So welfare homes in hotspot areas will be the prioritised.
“Based on the screening operation previously held in Hulu Langat, the Covid-19 cases were detected from those living in nursing homes. Therefore, we will focus on the elderly as they are in the high-risk group,” he said during an interview via Skype broadcasted on Astro Awani, last night.
Amirudin said the Selangor Task Force for Covid-19 (STFC) is also prepared to conduct screenings on foreign workers, should the need arises.
He said the locations will be finalised after the Health Ministry has announced localities under the Enforced Movement Control Order.
“The state government is cooperating with the State Health Department and will work together in breaking the Covid-19 chain of infection,” he said.
The Selangor administration had started the community testing programme on April 11 and 12 in Hulu Langat and ended the programme before Ramadan in Bandar Baru Selayang on April 22 and 23.
Through the initiative, which had involved door-to-door visits as well as drive-through service, 10 confirmed Covid-19 cases were detected out of the total 5,433 individuals screened.
The highest number of samples taken was in Petaling and Klang with 1,826 people tested, followed by 1,653 in Gombak, Hulu Langat (648), Sepang (397), Shah Alam (391), Hulu Selangor (382), and at the state secretariat building in Shah Alam (136).
