KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — With the current Covid-19 screenings and tests conducted for immigration detention depot staff and detainees, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is expecting to record an increase in new cases in the coming days.

Its director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said, for now, staff and detainees at three immigration detention depots — Bukit Jalil, Sepang and Semenyih — are being screened and tested.

"We foresee more cases recorded in the next few days.

"But most importantly, they have been contained and isolated, and those who tested positive have been brought to the hospital for treatment. Once they are negative, they will be quarantined at a designated space,” he said during MOH’s daily Covid-19 briefing today. 

There are 14 immigration detention depots nationwide, with four temporary detention centres in Sabah.

As of today, Dr Noor Hisham said a new cluster was detected at the Sepang Immigration Detention Depot after 29 new Covid-19 cases were reported, bringing the total positive cases detected at this detention depot to 36.

Negative cases are at 540, while 873 samples still await results.

A general view of the Immigration Detention Centre at Bukit Jalil May 25, 2020. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

"For the Bukit Jalil cluster, 1,536 samples were taken — 1,422 detainees and 114 staff — where 126 were reported as positive, 514 negative and 896 are awaiting results.

"For the Semenyih cluster, 1,757 samples were taken from 1,630 detainees and 127 staff. Sixty-six were found positive, 753 negative while 938 samples await results,” he said. 

In total, 227 positive cases have been detected at the three detention depots and include citizens of Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, China, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Libya, Egypt and Syria.