KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 — On Monday, religious affairs minister Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad admitted that he had tested positive for Covid-19 days after his Sabah visit which coincided with the state election campaigning last month.
Last night, it was also speculated that Senior Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali is positive, but this has not been confirmed by his aides.
In a special address yesterday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin conceded that the recent Covid-19 spike could be attributed to the Sabah campaigning period where some politicians did not adhere to the standard operating procedures such as physical distancing and wearing face masks.
This comes as the country announced a record new high of 691 new cases yesterday, together with four deaths which included a one-year-old infant in Semporna, Sabah.
Here is the list of politicians besides Zulkifli who have also announced their positive status after returning from Sabah, ostensibly after joining the election campaign.
Malay Mail lists them down by the dates of their announcements:
1. Datuk Mohd Razlan Muhammad Rafii, Umno Supreme Council member
Mohd Razlan was the first case of a politician campaigning in the Sabah state election who tested positive for Covid-19, as early as on September 21.
According to media reports, he tested positive for Covid-19 while campaigning in Sipitang and was later held at a hospital Kota Kinabalu.
2. Shahril Sufian Hamdan, Umno information chief
Two days after Mohd Razlan, Shahril announced on social media on September 23 that he tested positive for Covid-19, after taking part in the Sabah election campaign.
Shahril said he took the tests as a precautionary move but did not have any symptoms associated with the virus then, apart from feeling slightly fatigued.
Posts on his Twitter account indicate that he had been assisting in Barisan Nasional’s election campaigns in Sipitang, same with Razlan.
3. Sufian Abd Karim, Umno’s Pitas candidate for Sabah state election
Just hours into the 16th Sabah state election on September 26, Sufian announced on Facebook that he tested positive.
He also urged those who have come into close contact with him to take precautionary measures by undergoing Covid-19 screening following his test results.
4. Amiruddin Yusof, Umno’s Ayer Limau (Melaka) assemblyman
On October 1, Amiruddin announced that he was contacted by the Alor Gajah District Health Office since his latest Covid-19 test showed that he was positive after returning from Sabah, despite testing negative in a previous test.
On the same day, Melaka’s administrative centre, Seri Negeri Complex in Ayer Keroh was closed for sanitisation following news of his test.
5. Azman Nasruddin, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia's Lunas (Kedah) assemblyman
The status of the state agriculture and food industry, agriculture entrepreneurship and commodity, transport and Indian community affairs exco was confirmed by state legislative assembly Speaker Juhari Bulat on October 2.
Juhair reportedly said Azman was infected by his personal assistant, but Azman himself has yet to publicly admit his health status.
Rumours were also rife that Azman's wife, a school teacher, had also tested positive.
Last week, SK Permatang Janggus was ordered to close until October 8 after a teacher there tested positive for Covid-19. Bernama reported that the female teacher from Sungai Petani had complained of being unwell before receiving treatment at a hospital and later tested positive for Covid-19.
The national news agency reported that the woman is the wife of a politician in Kedah, and had recently travelled to Sabah with her husband.
6. Senator Ahmad Masrizal Mohamad, Umno’s deputy environment and water minister
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On October 3, Mazrizal revealed he tested positive after Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob initially declined to confirm or deny the identity of the deputy minister rumoured to have contracted the coronavirus.
He reportedly said he was “in good shape” and no longer had the flu-like symptoms after he was warded at the Sungai Buloh Hospital. He had earlier said he tested negative for Covid-19 during a screening following his return from Sabah.
7. Lim Yi Wei, DAP's Kampung Tunku (Selangor) assemblyman
Lim issued a statement on Monday regarding her positive status, saying she did her first swab test at KLIA2 on returning from Sabah on September 27.
Her test returned negative on September 30, but after experiencing symptoms she took another test on October 2 and continued her self-quarantine until she received the positive result.
8. Shatiri Mansor, PKR's Kota Damansara (Selangor) assemblyman
Shatiri had in a video uploaded on Facebook on Monday confirmed he was Covid-19 positive, after he had gone to campaign in the Sabah state election with seven others from his service centre.
Although initially testing negative, he retook another test when his wife tested positive. Together with his wife and their two sons, they are now in the Sungai Buloh Hospital for treatment.
9. Nor Hayati Bachok, Parti Amanah Negara's Maharani (Johor) assemblyman
Nor Hayati said yesterday that her test results on Monday confirmed she was positive.
She returned from Sabah on September 26 where she went for her first screening test, which initially found her negative for the Covid-19 virus. She has been on self-quarantine since then.
10. Maizatul Akam Alawi, Wanita Umno leader and political secretary to Higher Education Minister Datuk Noraini Ahmad
A source wishing to stay anonymous confirmed to Malay Mail yesterday that she tested positive last week and is still undergoing treatment in Sabah.
The source said that Maizatul, who is a Sabah native, is receiving treatment in her home state, and has not been in physical contact with Noraini prior to that.
Maizatul is also the Wanita wing’s assistant treasurer.
