COVID-19 | At least 15 new Covid-19 cases across five states and territory in Peninsular Malaysia have been traced back to Sabah, which is now the new epicentre of the outbreak.

Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a statement, said the states with new Covid-19 cases traced to Sabah are Selangor, Pahang, Johor, Malacca and Kuala Lumpur.

The Health Ministry has mandated Covid-19 tests for people returning from high-risk areas in Sabah.

This is just as the Sabah election concluded yesterday and campaigners from the peninsular are returning home.

Of the 15 cases detected through screening of people returning from high-risk areas Sabah, eight were in Selangor, three in Pahang, two in Johor, one in Kuala Lumpur and one in Malacca.

They are among 150 new cases reported today.

The bulk of the new cases, or 124, were in Sabah.

During the Sabah election campaign, several high profile figures were infected with Covid-19, including an election candidate.

BN's Pitas candidate Sufian Abd Karim, who lost to independent candidate Ruddy Awah, was confirmed to have been infected with Covid-19 yesterday. 

Umno supreme council member Mohd Razlan Rafii and Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan were also infected with Covid-19.

Top politicians including Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki were also placed under home quarantine after coming in contact with Covid-19 patients.