Cabinet ministers told to go for screening

PUTRAJAYA: All Cabinet ministers have been instructed to undergo a Covid-19 screening test after two ministers confirmed positive for Covid-19, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba (pic).

He said that the move for all cabinet ministers to undergo the Covid-19 screening test was a precautionary and control measure (to curb the virus transmission).

“In risk assessment, in the RT-PCR test kit, we have the CT-Value or Cycle Threshold (CT) value, by which we can determine the day or time before they become infectious,” he told the media at the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Malaysia and the Ministry of Health (MOH), here Monday.

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Asked whether the ministers would be instructed to undergo quarantine or could continue their schedule as usual, Dr Adham said that the risk assessment would be made by the Putrajaya district health office, and they would issue guidelines to the ministers involved for follow-up measures.

“The risk assessment is made by a team of medical personnel who specialise in public health and they will assess the risk of how the infection occurs and when. We will know when the infection started and then they (the physicians) will provide guidance,” he said.

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It was reported that two Cabinet ministers – Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun – tested positive for Covid-19 in the last two days.