GEORGE TOWN: Industrial clusters have been blamed for the surge in Covid-19 cases in Penang.

       In just the past two weeks, the state has recorded 24,825 infections.

       On Tuesday, the Health Ministry reported 31 Delta cases in the state from Aug 16 to 29.

       State health committee chairman Dr Norlela Ariffin said that about 70% of Covid-19 cases in the state originated from workplace clusters, especially the industrial sector.

       “We believe the factories and industries are the biggest cause of Covid-19 cases here.

       “For instance, foreign workers from more than 10 factories are being placed in one dormitory,” she told the state assembly yesterday.

       Norlela said there had been a significant rise in cases since Penang’s transition to Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan in July.

       She noted that the monthly infection rate as of May and June this year was 0.58% and 0.64% respectively.

       Yesterday, Penang recorded another 1,762 Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number in the state to 88,253 since the pandemic started.

       In Kedah, state health director Dr Othman Warijo said the variants of concern (VOC) in the state were no longer confined to particular areas.

       The Covid-19 virus, he said, had spread across the population.

       “From our observation, the increase in infections in Penang and Perak of late could partly be due to Kedahans who commute there to work,” he said.

       Dr Othman said it was important for Kedahans to strictly adhere to standard operating procedures by staying home as much as possible to lessen contact with other people.

       “If they need to go out, they must double mask. They are encouraged to wear shields too,” he said.

       Kedah is among the states that saw four-digit case numbers in recent weeks. Yesterday, it recorded another 1,585 cases.