KOTA KINABALU: People are urged to continue wearing face masks especially in crowded open spaces with the easing of standard operating procedures (SOP) from Sunday (May 1).

       State Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the risk of infection remains high especially in crowded areas.

       "Although Sabah has recorded a low number of daily cases over the past few weeks, the percentage of sporadic infections is still high almost every day," he said in his daily Covid-19 briefing on Saturday (April 30).

       He said the state recorded a total of 48 new infections on Saturday but the percentage of sporadic infections rose to almost 65% in reported cases.

       "This means that the risk of virus infection is still high when in public, especially in crowded places.

       "Due to this factor, we strongly recommend that the use of face masks continue to be practised as usual even though the flexibility is given from Sunday," he added.

       His advice comes ahead of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations as well as the month-long statewide Kaamatan festival.

       Kaamatan celebrations are held at village and district levels from May 1 before culminating with the state-level celebrations on May 30-31. Most of the celebrations are in open spaces and draw large crowds.

       Masidi said a total of 44 out of 48 new cases on Saturday were in Category 1 and Category 2 while another four patients were in Category 4. No cases in Category 3 and Category 5 were reported.