Covid-19: Ex-education minister worried over 1,000 schoolchildren infected

Former education minister Maszlee Malik has expressed concern over 1,000 schoolchildren testing positive for Covid-19 in the third wave of infections.

"Reading this fills my heart with worry and sadness thinking about the plight of children and teachers at schools," he said in a Facebook post last night.

Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said for those aged seven to 12, the total third wave cases to date is 587.

Those in the 13 to 18 age bracket recorded 670 cases.

Maszlee did not recommend any specific remedies for the situation but urged parents and teachers to do what is best.

"For parents, discuss with the schools through the Parent-Teacher Associations to make the best decision while ensuring children always follow (social distancing) standard operating procedures.

"The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) needs to represent teachers to ensure their health is always prioritised no matter what decision is made," he said.

Besides the spike in cases among students, the Health Ministry said 12 schools were temporarily closed in the third wave, due to infections as part of clusters.

They were either located in red zones, having cases of infection from family members or reported to have sporadic cases.

READ MORE: More than 1,000 schoolchildren contract Covid-19 in third wave

However, Malaysiakini has so far collated a list of 74 schools, pre-schools, and learning centres that had reported Covid-19 cases.

This is based on announcements by schools, district education departments, and reports by local media.