Malaysia Allegedly U-Turns Twice On Quarantine Requirements Since Wednesday (24 Jul)
Yesterday (23 Jul), long lines were seen on the Causeway a day before the new measures kicked in, requiring all visitors entering the country to serve their stay-home orders at quarantine facilities.
Causeway Sees Long Queues To Enter Johor On 23 Jul, Ahead Of Compulsory Quarantine At Facilities
The measure was first announced on Tuesday (21 Jul), but there have reportedly been several inconsistent statements from the Malaysian government since then, leaving visitors utterly confused.
Malaysia announces compulsory quarantine at facilities from 24 Jul
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Malaysian Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced on Tuesday (21 Jul) that all visitors would have to undergo quarantine at designated centres from Friday (24 Jul).
Those serving quarantine at these facilities would also have to foot their own bill of RM150 per day.
This came after large numbers of people were found flouting stay-home orders, reports CNA.
A woman seen violating safe-home orders later tested positive for Coivd-19
Source
However, Mr Ismail Sabri allegedly did not state explicitly if the new regulations apply to those returning from Singapore.
Hence, many assumed that those travelling from Malaysia to Singapore would be affected by the new measures as well.
Disaster Agency said those returning from Singapore not affected
1 day later on Wednesday (22 Jul), Malaysia’s National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) reportedly issued a statement contradicting the assumption.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, NADMA said those entering Malaysia from the Causeway or Second Link would not be affected by the new measures.
Many in Singapore who planned on travelling to Malaysia apparently felt relieved by this announcement, as they no longer have to make the trip by Friday (24 Jul) to avoid being quarantined at the facilities.
Senior Minister says all visitors must be quarantined in facilities
On Thursday (23 Jul), Mr Ismail Sabri made yet another conflicting statement, reports Lianhe Zaobao.
According to Malay Mail, the Senior Minister emphasised during the press conference that the new rule applies to all visitors entering the country from Friday (24 Jul), regardless of their mode of transport.
Contradicting the previous announcement by NADMA, Mr Ismail Sabri reportedly said that this included those arriving from Singapore via the Causeway.
The sudden and contradicting nature of the statements apparently left many visitors stunned, as they could not travel to Malaysia in time before the Friday (24 Jul) deadline.
On a separate note, Mr Ismail Sabri also said that the government would allow children aged 12 and below to serve their quarantine in the same room as their parents.
This is only allowed if they had all arrived from the same location.
Hope Malaysian government would provide consistent information
We hope the Malaysian government would provide more consistent information moving forward to prevent similar misunderstandings in the future.
Our hearts also go out to those who couldn’t make the trip due to the last-minute announcement.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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