Can’t wait for the JB-SG borders to open so you can go in for cheaper retail therapy and restaurants again?
Missed sinking your teeth into Hiap Joo Banana Cake and letting the fragrance spread throughout your mouth?
Well, if you’ve dreamt of being able to travel to Johor Bahru anytime soon, you can perish that thought for the time being.
Johor Gov Warns of COVID-19 Rise As the State Now Has 10 Active Clusters & Over 1K Cases
On 24 Nov 2020, the Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman R. Vidyananthan revealed in a statement that, with the latest update, the number of Covid-19 cases in the state of Johor has increased to 1,100.
Out of this figure, about 86% (946 cases) have recovered from the coronavirus.
The latest cluster, the Kobena Cluster, was identified on 23 Nov 2020.
He added that there are now ten active clusters in Johor, including the “Bayu Cluster, Kempas Cluster, Makmur Cluster and Kiambang Cluster”.
Citizens’ Complacency
So what happened in Johor? Why are new clusters popping up in a previous “green zone”?
According to Vidyanathan, this could be a consequence of people’s complacency.
There are people out there who did not obey the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOP) and the new norms that were implemented by the state government.
He hopes that the community can avoid the following:
- Avoid Confined Spaces
- Avoid Congestion
- Avoid Close Communication
He also expects the community to full cooperate with the relevant authorities and not hinder them in the course of their duty.
Highest Daily Covid-19 Cases Reported
23 Nov 2020 is the day where Malaysia recorded its highest number of daily new Covid-19 cases since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
On that day, they recorded 1,884 new Covid-19 cases.
According to Malaysia’s health ministry, this spike is caused by the sharp increase in workplace clusters in Klang Valley.
Selangor, itself, accounts for almost 2/3 of the new infection cases (1,203) and out of these, 1,060 cases were linked to the Teratai work cluster.
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Currently, there are 115 Covid-19 patients in intensive care, and 48 of them needs respiratory support.
To make things worse, 28 Top Glove factories, which is the world’s biggest producer of latex glove-maker, are planned to close in stages after 1,889 workers tested positive for the coronavirus.
No Opening Of Borders Anytime Soon
The major factor for the opening of borders for Singapore, according to travel experts, is no longer about profitability, but safety.
Singapore operates on a “risk” model where we assess the country’s Covid-19 situation, as well as the effectiveness of systems put into place to curb Covid-19 transmission before opening up the borders or setting up a travel bubble.
Given how Malaysia’s in the midst of combating yet another wave of Covid-19 infections, it seems that our prediction of not being able to travel to JB for banana cakes and KL-style Chee Cheong Fun until next year might be coming soon.
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After all, the entry criteria for travellers from Malaysia has changed from a 7-day SHN to a 14-day SHN from 22 Nov 2020.
On a separate note, take this as a lesson as to why we should try to keep to Covid-19 safe management measures as much as possible.
Featured Image: Siti Nur Sahira / Shutterstock.com
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