Sabah local government and housing minister Masidi Manjun said the community cluster occurred after at least 60% of the residents of Kampung Mokodou attended the ceremony.

He said the index case was a 65-year-old man whose wife had died from Stage 4 colon cancer on Sept 15.

“About 60% of the villagers aside from family members from nearby Kampung Tumbalang attended the wake at the man’s house,” he said in his daily Covid-19 statement today.

The man later tested positive for the virus following a symptomatic screening at the Ranau hospital on Sept 25.

Masidi said 146 people were then screened from Sept 27-28, and 94 were confirmed to have been infected, including 43 new cases reported today.

Meanwhile, Masidi said the state government has relaxed a number of restrictions for the business sector, such as extending the operating hours for restaurants from 6am to midnight. Previously it was only up to 10pm.

He said this included eateries in hotels, sports and recreational clubhouses, food trucks, roadside hawker stalls, and food courts.

Petrol stations have also been given permission to operate from 5am to midnight.

He added that sundry shops, convenience stores, mini markets, hypermarkets and malls are allowed to open from 6am to 10pm.

On the SOPs requiring only fully vaccinated people to enter business premises in the state, Masidi said individuals who have obtained their first AstraZeneca vaccine shot and waiting for the second one may apply for exemption from the rule.

He said employers could apply for the temporary exemption from the local authorities by listing the names of the workers concerned, the date of the first shot and the expected date for the second jab.

This comes after the announcement by Masidi yesterday that the state government would fully enforce the rule requiring only fully vaccinated workers and customers to enter business premises.

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