KUALA LUMPUR: The number of infections in the 1 Utama Shopping Centre Cluster has spiked to 63 cases as of noon yesterday where a majority of those infected were the mall's security personnel and workers.
Petaling District Disaster Management Committee chairman Johary Anuar said 16 of the mall workers as well as 44 of its security personnel were confirmed to be Covid-19 positive.
This drastic spike of cases from an initial four came following Covid-19 screenings conducted on 6,000 mall workers by its management.
The mall was forced shut for 14 days from Oct 11 by the authorities when four cases involving three mall workers and a visitor were detected.
Johary said a total of 59 cases were detected in Petaling district while four were out of district.
"The positive cases involved a mall management staff, 15 mall staff (12 in Petaling district and three out of Petaling district) and 44 security personnel.
"Three mall visitors were found have contracted the virus where two are from the Petaling district and the other out of the Petaling district.
"The mall management will now have to ensure that its security company hires new personnel and they must not be close contacts of the positive patients.
"All of them must undergo Covid-19 tests before they are allowed to start work," said Johary in a statement last night.
He added that screenings on visitors to the mall kickstarted yesterday and a total of 110 individuals had been tested.
Johary said following the advice and recommendation by the Petaling district health office, it was decided that the mall's management must continue to screen all of its workers for Covid-19.
He said positive patients would be treated at the hospital while their close contacts must be quarantined for 14 days and undergo subsequent tests before being released.
On the Bah Tropicana Cluster, Johary said it had recorded 18 new infections yesterday, bringing the total cases to 25.
The 18 new cases were those who had contacts with the seven earlier cases, he said.
The cluster was discovered on Oct 5 involving those who had returned from Semporna in Sabah and living at the Tropicana Golf and Country (TGCR) Resort hostel.
Johary said of the 25 cases, 16 of them were staying at the hostel where an Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) was enforced on Oct 12. The rest are residing elsewhere.
There are eight cases involving TGCR staff, seven Tropicana hostel staff, five not from Tropicana Group while five more were not working, he added.
Johary said contact screening were carried out jointly by the Petaling health district office and the TGCR management where 350 of the hostel occupants had been tested.
"The committee will consider the reopening of TGCR after getting views and recommendation from the Petaling health district office.
"Any proposal to end the EMCO at the hostel will be considered after all of its occupants are screened and the results are obtained," said Johary.
