This reminder came from state local government and housing minister Masidi Manjun, who cautioned the public to continue observing SOPs despite more social and economic activities being permitted come Monday.

Masidi, who is also the state’s Covid-19 spokesman, said while the daily case numbers in Sabah were trending downwards, sporadic infections were going the other way, accounting for 39% of the 639 infections in the last 24 hours.

He said sporadic infections were normally associated with negligence in following SOPs, particularly when socialising or being in a public area.

“With Sabah shifting to Phase 3, it is a concern that the number of sporadic infections will increase,” he said in his preliminary Covid-19 report today.

“We hope the people will remain responsible in following the SOPs currently enforced to prevent an outbreak.

“The lifting of the inter-district travel ban and Sabah’s transition to Phase 3 actually places the responsibility on the shoulders of the people to be the frontliners in our fight against Covid-19.”

Meanwhile, Masidi noted that the improving vaccination rate in Sabah was showing results.

He said fully vaccinated people had a higher immunity against the virus, adding that even though they could be infected, they would only be either Category 1 (asymptomatic) or Category 2 (mild symptoms) cases.

“Today, only two people were detected as Category 5 patients (in a critical condition and requiring ventilators) and five as Category 4 (with pneumonia and requiring oxygen).

“These patients might have other health conditions or have yet to be vaccinated,” he said, adding that three Category 3 (pneumonia) patients were also detected today.

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