KOTA KINABALU: Community spread remains a key concern for the authorities in Sabah as the state recorded 2,594 new Covid-19 cases after two days of declining numbers.

       State Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun (pic) said that although 1,573 (60.6%) new cases were from direct contact, the number of cases from the community was rising as 787 (29.4%) cases were detected from symptomatic screening.

       “Sporadic spread is a real concern. It is difficult to pinpoint its origin as the virus is already within the community,” he said.

       Masidi reiterated that the public must strictly observe standard operating procedures in place.

       These include avoiding crowded places, staying away from social gatherings of all types, and going out only when necessary.

       “Sporadic cases are linked to the public’s failure to follow the SOP strictly,” he said.

       He said that sporadic cases accounted for 44.6% of the new cases in Tawau, Penampang (41.4%), Putatan (38.5%) and Kota Kinabalu (31.9%).

       Commenting on the overall number of cases yesterday, he said there was a sharp increase of new cases in Papar from 49 to 264 cases.