A health ministry notice sighted by FMT states that the Primula Beach Hotel will be closed from today until Sept 18. The hotel’s general manager, Suaibah Harun, said 29 cases have been detected at the hotel.

“The closure notice was issued by the Kuala Terengganu district health office after taking into account risk assessments from the first Covid-19 case reported previously,” she said in a statement.

She said one of the hotel’s four kitchens had been closed on Aug 29 based on a risk assessment that the infection was only concentrated in that area. “After the spread involved different sections of the hotel, the closure of the entire premises was orderd from today until Sept 18.”

Suaibah added that the hotel is working with the health office to minimise further risk of infection. A total of 109 employees are to be screened, starting tomorrow.

She told FMT that the 29 positive cases involved the hotel’s staff, their family and friends.

The closure comes a day after Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah, the Terengganu Amanah chairman, questioned the Teregganu state government’s silence over the outbreak

Stating that walk-in guests and regular customers from an oil and gas company were still allowed to stay at the hotel, Raja Kamarul also questioned why the hotel was still allowed to operate.