KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) that has wreaked havoc on Malaysia’s economy could be about to do the same to its politics.
The Urban Development Authority (UDA) confirmed today that one of its directors has tested positive for Covid-19 and was among the country’s latest cases.
Khazanah Nasional also confirmed separately yesterday that one of its staff has contracted Covid-19 but it is believed that both announcements refer to the same person who had travelled to China in January.
Crucially for the current political turmoil in the country, the UDA director was believed to have attended an appreciation ceremony for an outgoing minister and his deputy on February 27.
The event also saw the attendance of aides and officials linked to top leaders of both the past and current administration.
Health procedures instituted in response to the Covid-19 outbreak require those who have been in close contact with confirmed patients to enter a self-quarantine period of 14 days in order to be monitored for possible infection.
PKR MP Wong Chen, who had been in contact with the infected Khazanah employee, announced on Facebook that he was placing himself under medical quarantine.
“In view of the fact that the Khazanah Covid 19 victim was in touch with an ex-minister and a deputy minister about 3 days ago, we have to take extra precautions,” Wong said.
Yesterday, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah announced four more new cases of Covid-19 in the country, all of whom were Malaysians.
Yesterday’s spike brought Malaysia’s total to 29 cases, just as the country was beginning to fully contain the outbreak.
The death toll for the Covid-19 virus reached 2,988 today, with 88,299 confirmed infections globally.
