The Sarawak government said it would crack down on schools defying closure orders issued to curb an epidemic of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFM).

Deputy Chief Minister Dr George Chan said the state's attorney general would take action against errant kindergartens and day-care centres, and that enforcement officers had also been mobilised.

"It is no excuse for these institutions, especially the unregistered ones and operating illegally, because this is a serious situation," Chan was quoted as saying by Bernama .

"I feel it is a very irresponsible act on their part to defy the orders," he said.

Five fatalities

Defiant institutions would be slapped with a RM3,000 fine or their operators liable for two-year jail terms, he said.

Last week, the Health Ministry ordered the closure of hundreds of kindergartens to curb the spread of HFM disease, which mainly affects infants and young children.

The disease has killed five children in Sarawak since the early this year, and health authorities have repeatedly called for kindergartens and day-care centres to close, and for parents to keep their children at home.

Some 200 new cases are being reported daily in Sarawak, while the disease has caused one fatality in neighbouring country Brunei.