KOTA KINABALU: A total of 10 out of the 30 factories inspected in the Tawau district were found not to be following the maximum 60% limit of workers set for the current movement control order.

       State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said this was discovered during the joint operation led by the Industrial Development Ministry from June 13 to June 23 in the two districts of Tawau and Lahad Datu.

       He said the offenders were issued compound notices by the Health Ministry for failing to ensure the attendance capacity for workers in the manufacturing and milling sector, as directed by the Ministry's director-general.

       "The inspections were spot checks on factories at the two districts which were done in accordance with the directive from state Covid-19 disaster management committee to ensure the workers limit ruling was adhered to by the manufacturing sector in Sabah's east coast,” said Masidi.

       He added in a statement on Saturday (June 26) that all 36 factories inspected in Lahad Datu followed the relevant rulings.

       “Compound notices were only issued to four workers at one factory for failing to wear face masks at the workplace," Masidi said.

       He added that Sabah recorded 189 new cases on Saturday, with one new cluster reported in Tawau.

       Masidi said that the Tembok cluster involved a detention centre, where a man transferred from Lahad Datu police lock up and quarantined at the district prison Ehsan block tested positive on June 21.

       He said that five inmates and three wardens tested positive, and contact tracing as well as investigating the source of the infection continues.