Imported cases of Covid-19 have been on the rise in countries like Singapore and China of late, as citizens return to their home countries from abroad. Malaysia has just announced a new measure to combat that.
Starting 3 Apr, all Malaysians returning from abroad must serve a 14-day quarantine, announced Senior Minister Ismail Sabri on Tuesday (31 Mar).
Read on for more details about Malaysia’s new measure.
Upon their return, these Malaysians will immediately be sent to government quarantine centres to undergo health screening and serve out their quarantine, reported The Star.
They will not be allowed to return home beforehand.
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin touring a stand-by quarantine centre.
Source
Families of the returnees will also not be allowed to pick them up from the airport, since they will be transported to quarantine centres immediately.
Previously, Malaysians stranded overseas during the pandemic had been advised not to return, but many expressed the desire to come back to their home country, said Mr Ismail Sabri, who is also defence minister.
As such, the 14-day quarantine needs to be implemented to ensure that community spread due to imported cases is reduced as much as possible.
Malaysia already has a Movement Control Order in place, and hopefully this quarantine for incoming citizens will help curb the spread of Covid-19 even further.
Though they can’t pick them up at the airport, families and those under quarantine can still keep in touch via phone or social media.
Mr Ismail Sabri was quoted by the Malay Mail as saying:
In this modern day and age, parents can still call their children and keep in touch. Yes, they may be separated for the 14 days, but they will still have contact with their families.
While the measures imposed by Malaysia seem drastic, Singapore has also imposed similar measures on returning Singaporeans.
We think it’s the only way to ensure that imported cases don’t end up spreading the virus to the community.
The next couple of weeks is predicted to be crucial to the Covid-19 battle, so let’s do our best to keep our distance from each other until we’re given the all-clear.
Featured image adapted from The Star.
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