KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — All premises and locations listed under the Hotspot Identification for Dynamic Engagement (HIDE) early warning system are not confirmed Covid-19 clusters, said National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

However, these premises and locations had potential to turn into clusters if pre-emptive actions were not taken, he said.

"Premises listed under HIDE are different from the list of clusters issued each day by the Health director-general. Premises listed under HIDE do not need to close except when directed by the authorities.

"The listing of these locations and premises enables pre-emptive interventions and appropriate actions to be taken by the authorities, owners of premises and the public to prevent the emergence of new clusters,” he said in a statement today.

Recently, Khairy announced that the government had agreed to list premises with high risks of spreading Covid-19 infections under HIDE beginning yesterday.

HIDE, jointly developed by Bank Negara Malaysia and the Health Ministry, is aimed at giving early warning to prevent the spread of the virus based on data gathered through the MySejahtera app.

Khairy, who is also Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, said the first seven days after the listing of these premises were crucial because clusters could form during this period if no preventive measures were taken.

He said pre-emptive actions such as controlling people’s movements and conducting Covid-19 screening tests on workers were the best way to curb the spread of Covid-19.

"If no hotspots emerged in the premises after the implementation of pre-emptive actions, these premises will be removed from the HIDE list within a period of seven days after their listing. A list of premises removed from HIDE will be published daily.

"However, premises may be listed in HIDE more than once. This shows that control actions in these premises are not adequate. Premises frequently visited by the public, are congested and without good ventilation are at high risks of being listed more than once,” he added.

Khairy also said if possible, the public should postpone visits to the listed locations and premises, but if they could not avoid going to these places, they must always abide by the guidelines set and practise the new normal.

Based on the maiden HIDE list dated today, Kuala Lumpur has the most number of hotspot premises, followed by Selangor, Johor, Penang, Sarawak, Sabah, Putrajaya, Perak, Kelantan, Negri Sembilan and Melaka.

The full list is available on the website of the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, National Security Council Telegram and Public Health Malaysia Facebook. — Bernama