Coronavirus hits Malaysian cops with 200 infected, 10,000 quarantined
KUALA LUMPUR: The Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia has taken its toll on the front-liners with the police, medical and health workers being the hardest hit.
Malaysia yesterday recorded 835 cases, slightly lower than the record high of 1,240 cases on Monday. It recorded two deaths taking the toll to 238.
Around 10,000 police personnel are now under quarantine, with more than 200 testing positive and undergoing treatment.
Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said it had placed a serious strain on manpower.
He said the police had been the most exposed to the virus because of the nature of their work.
"Many of our policemen have been infected because their work requires them to be in red zone areas during operations and checks.
"They are also exposed when they man the over 500 roadblocks...
"Despite wearing masks, their job requires them to be near the person they are talking to, even if they are drivers inside vehicles.
"Social distancing is not something that can be perfectly practised when you are a police officer in a situation," he said.
INDONESIA AND PHILIPPINES
Meanwhile, Indonesia reported 3,520 cases yesterday, taking its total to 396,454. There were 101 deaths, taking the toll to 13,512.
The Philippines yesterday reported 1,524 cases and 14 deaths, the lowest daily number of fatalities in two weeks.
The total number of cases there has risen to 373,144 while deaths have reached 7,053. - THE STAR, REUTERS
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