SEBERANG PERAI, May 17 — The hawker and pork section of the Bagan Ajam market here will remain closed until May 27 after eight more Covid-19 positive cases were confirmed at the area.

Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) Mayor Datuk Rozali Mohamud said a total 17 traders have failed to take the Covid-19 swab test despite being contacted by the Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) District Health Office (PKD) to do so.

He said the 17 traders will be given till 6pm today to contact the PKD at 04-5751833 or 019-4714533 to get an appointment for the swab test or to show proof that they had conducted swab tests at private clinics.

"If they fail to contact the PKD today, we will conduct a joint operation together with police and the Health Ministry to trace and find them at their respective homes starting tomorrow,” he said in a statement released today.

He said the traders will be issued notices to immediately contact the PKD for an appointment and if they fail to do so, enforcement action under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 will be taken.

Rozali said the decision was made after a meeting was held at 11am to discuss the Jalan Terbilang Cluster which involves traders from the Bagan Ajam market.

"In the meeting, it was decided that other traders at the market who were not told to do the swab tests can voluntarily take the swab tests and inform MBSP of the results,” he said.

He then called on all management corporations and joint management bodies of stratified buildings in Seberang Perai to inform the respective district health department offices if there were Covid-19 positive cases found in their neighbourhoods.

They can call the SPU hotline at 04-5751833, Seberang Perai Tengah at 04-5397884 and Seberang Perai Selatan at 04-5943351.

The hawker and pork section at the Bagan Ajam market was closed from May 12 after several traders tested positive for Covid-19 while the whole market, involving 282 traders, was closed for three days from May 13 to 15 for sanitisation.

There were 64 traders at the hawker and pork section of the market and 38 traders were asked to undergo swab tests but only 21 turned up to be tested.