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5 states, 3 mosques, 3 varsities - where minister went before testing positive

Published: Oct 5, 2020 10:05 PM

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Updated: Oct 6, 2020 3:43 AM

Like all Covid-19 positive cases, contact tracers will now work against time to track all who had contact with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri in the last 14 days.

This time, the job will be more challenging because in the two weeks before infection was detected, the minister officiated events attended by hundreds of participants, across multiple states, according to his Facebook page.

The states visited by the minister were Sabah, Selangor, Kelantan, Terengganu, and Negeri Sembilan. He also visited Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

In photos of his travels, he was shown giving speeches from a stage, as well as handing out certificates and aid at events attended by dozens of people at a time.

Most of the time he was masked, but on some occasions - like in Kampung Serusup, Tuaran where he disbursed aid to the needy on Sept 24 - his mask was lowered.

His visit to Tuaran, on the west coast of Sabah, might have been crucial. This is because, besides the prison cases in Alor Setar, Kedah, and cases linked to undocumented migrants in Klang, Selangor, almost all other new cases in Peninsular Malaysia were linked to travel to Sabah.

Zulkifli did not breach any regulations by continuing with ministerial duties as normal because mandatory tests and home quarantine for Sabah returnees were imposed on Sept 27 onwards, three days after the minister left East Malaysia.

Following his return from Sabah, he had visited several mosques in various states, mostly to deliver sermons.

This includes Masjid Dato Kelana Petra, Nilai, which today announced its immediate closure until further notice because “a congregant suspected of Covid-19 had prayed” there.

Zulkifli had delivered a sermon at the Negeri Sembilan mosque yesterday, which was actually his second sermon there since returning from Sabah.

Other mosques and surau include Masjid Ulul Albab in Jerteh (Sept 25), Surau An-Nur in Bangi (Sept 27), and Masjid Jamek Sultan Hisamuddin in Serdang (Oct 3).

Besides larger-scale ceremonies, the minister also shared photos of smaller meetings he attended, including in his office, where most participants were not wearing masks.

He also visited restaurants, where, like other customers, he removed his mask while dining, in Putrajaya (Kedai Pak Tam Sup Utara in Presint 8) and Tuaran (Gerai Kelapa Bakar Kak Tini).

In his announcement today, the minister urged all who had contact with him to get screened for Covid-19.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said cabinet ministers and top civil servants were also on home quarantine orders, after coming in contact with Zulkifli during a meeting (below) on Oct 3.

In the meeting (*above*), Zulkifli is wearing a red and white headgear at the top left of the photo.

Below is a list of places and events the minister had visited or attended since returning from Sabah, based on his Facebook postings, according to date:

Sept 24 (Sabah)

Kampung Lok Batik, Tuaran

- Delivered aid to fire victims.

Kampung Serusup, Tuaran

- Delivered aid to the needy as part of Yapeim Food Bank programme (below).

Gerai Kelapa Bakar Kak Tini

- Lunch.

Sakaran Dandai’s home

- Visiting the former Sabah governor and his wife. (below)

Lapangan Terbang Kota Kinabalu

- Departing Sabah, sent off by Sabah Mufti Bungsu @ Aziz Jaafar.

Sept 25 (Kelantan, Terengganu, and Putrajaya)

Dewan Jubli Perak, Kota Bharu

- Attended Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Yadim) Open Day.

Sekolah Pondok Pasir Tumboh, Kota Bharu

- Delivered financial assistance to the school.

Masjid Ulu Albab, Jerteh

- Delivered Friday sermon.

Kedai Pak Tam Putrajaya Sup Utara, Presint 8, Putrajaya

- Tea break (above).

Sept 26 (Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur)

Dewan Jubli Perak, Kota Bharu

- Attended the programme ‘Tausiyah Khas Sempena Hari Terbuka Yadim’.

Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, Pengkalan Chepa

- Departed Kelatan.

PPR Pantai Ria, Kuala Lumpur

- Distributed zakat to recipients as part of ‘Projek Bakul Rezeki Khaira PPZ’ programme (below).

Sept 27 (Selangor)

Surau An-Nur, Bangi

- Delivered a sermon and performed a tahnik ceremony for a pair of newborn twins. (Tahnik is a ceremony in Islamic tradition where masticated dates are placed in a newborn's mouth.)

Sept 30 (Selangor)

Hotel Movenpick, Sepang

- Attended ‘Persidangan Kehakiman dan Perundangan Syariah Nusantara’.

Oct 2 (Negri Sembilan)

Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

Launched ‘Jom Infaq’ portal at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai. Also delivered Friday sermon at the university’s Kompleks Islam Tuanku Mukhriz and held a meeting with the university management (below).