In a statement today, she noted that health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said on June 1 that conducting targeted screenings using RTK-Antigen test kits would be a priority during the lockdown which started the same day.

However, Teo said the country conducted fewer tests in June (2,491,232) compared to May (2,661,888).

She also said that Noor Hisham had urged state governments, MPs and assemblymen to help by carrying out targeted screening using RTK-Antigen test kits, but “that is not the reality on the ground”.

In letters seen by FMT, the Batu Pahat district health office rejected applications by Parit Yaani assemblyman Aminolhuda Hassan (on June 9) and Yong Peng assemblywoman Chew Peck Choo (on July 1) to run mass RTK-Antigen screening programmes.

“The health ministry should explain why they failed to conduct more screenings in June and why they stopped elected representatives from offering free or subsidised screening for the public,” said Teo in a statement.

“Even though we see the number of screenings gradually increase in the month of July, we have already wasted one month.”

The letters signed by Batu Pahat health officer Dr Shahril Azian Masrom stated that he was concerned about false positive or negative results, which he said could cause “confusion” in the community.

Shahril told Aminolhuda and Chew that the state health department was using a “more accurate” strategy of targeted testing, especially among high-risk individuals.

He also highlighted the heightened risk of Covid-19 spreading at the test locations and expressed concern that the elected representatives’ mass testing programmes could clash with the district’s efforts to contain Covid-19.

Shahril also noted that Johor was still under movement control order (MCO) restrictions — and failure to abide by SOPs could result in compound fines of up to RM10,000.