MELAKA: The Melaka government will study the proposal to mandate the weekly Covid-19 screening for teachers and support staff of boarding schools in the state, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali (pic).

       He said it was a good proposal and could be brought to the state executive council in the near future for detailed discussion.

       "At the same time, we have to look at the implications of the logistical cost of the move.

       "If Dr Akmal (Muhammad Akmal Saleh, state Health and Anti-Drug Committee chairman) can manage, the state education department welcomes the proposal," he said at a press conference after the Melaka Teachers' Day Golden Jubilee celebration on Saturday (Dec 11).

       Sulaiman said the state government also needed to look at the report on the actual situation of Covid-19 infections at schools in the state as thus far, there was only one case involving a boarding school in Selandar.

       He was commenting on Dr Muhamad Akmal’s statement which suggested that all teachers, support staff at boarding schools undergo the weekly Covid-19 screening test to ensure the safety of students.

       At the event, Sulaiman presented the Melaka Teacher Icon Award to three recipients, namely Datuk Md Rashid Hussin, Abdul Rani Embi and Tan Cheng Kwang. - Bernama