BUTTERWORTH: The Mak Mandin market is the latest market ordered to be closed after one of the traders there tested positive for Covid-19.
The closure which begins at 2pm today will last until next Thursday (July 22) or a date to be announced later.
The Seberang Prai Utara (SPU) district health officers were spotted at the market this morning carrying out investigations and on-site surveillance before the issuance of the closure notice.
Seberang Prai City Council (MBSP) Mayor Datuk Rozali Mohamud said the closure was to facilitate health officers to continue further investigations of close contacts and facilitate sanitisation works.
"The closure involves some 62 traders trading at the market, including nine MBSP workers stationed there, who will be screened for Covid-19.
"MBSP urged all traders, workers and customers identified as closed contacts and told to undergo swab tests to immediately present themselves at the SPU district health office or call for appointments.
"Besides that, any trader who wants to undergo swab test, can do so at any of the private clinics and inform the MBSP of their results for record and planning purposes," he said today.
Rozali also reminded all traders to strictly observe the closure order.
Meanwhile, he said an integrated operation involving MBSP, police and the Health Ministry would be mobilised to track down traders who were identified as close contacts and failed to go for swab tests.
Besides that, management corporations and joint management bodies must also alert the SPU operations room if there are any positive Covid-19 cases in their neighbourhood.
Several markets statewide have been ordered to close following positive Covid-19 cases involving traders.
On July 3, the Pulau Mutiara Wholesale Market at Gat Lebuh Macallum here was ordered to close immediately following five positive Covid-19 cases involving traders there.
On May 31, the Bukit Mertajam market was ordered to be closed after three positive Covid-19 cases involving traders were reported there while on May 17, the Jelutong market was closed after four positive Covid-19 cases involving traders was reported.
Similarly, on June 11, the Jalan Perak market was closed after several positive Covid-19 cases involving traders were reported there while on June 20, the Chai Leng Park market was closed after 11 positive Covid-19 cases involving traders were reported there.