Smoother Covid-19 screening at KLIA, but some still wait for hours

 

COVID-19 | Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad and the Health Ministry have worked to improve the Covid-19 screening process for travellers originating from Sabah.

Malaysiakini observed that the process had gone smoothly for a flight that departed from Tawau and landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport about 2.30pm yesterday.

Prior to departure, passengers were asked to fill up two forms – one for Covid-19 testing and for a Home Surveillance Order.

Upon arrival and disembarkation from the aircraft, auxiliary police personnel instructed passengers to scan a QR code using the MySejahtera app, which prompted another form to appear that passengers are required to fill.

Passengers are given some time to fill the form in a waiting area.

Those who have completed the form would be taken through a special lane by auxiliary police to the testing area, which is located at the immigration counters for the international arrival hall and has been modified.

Early birds are at an advantage here, since those who reach the testing area before the other passengers found the process to be quick and smooth.

In contrast to the media reports and accounts published on social media on Sunday, there were about 10 Health Ministry officials clad in personal protective equipment to facilitate the testing and documentation.

When passengers arrive at the testing area, they are directed to a desk where several officers check their documents, after which they proceed to another counter to have their swab samples taken.

Once the sample is taken, passengers are directed to yet another desk for the second round of document verification. There is a brief wait as each name is called.

At the next desk, a health officer explains the quarantine process and the passenger may ask questions before donning a pink wristband.

Passengers who are continuing the journey home by public transport will have to fill an additional form, which is the “permission letter to take public transport”, which is only valid on the day it is issued.

Early in the process, when passengers filled up online forms in the waiting area, MAHB staff were on hand to distribute refreshments in the form of bread and bottled water to passengers.

Once testing is completed, passengers are again offered food and snacks as they leave the testing area to collect their baggage.

This is in contrast to the situation on Sunday, when passengers complained of being left hungry as they waited their turn to get tested.

For the fortunate few who manage to leave the waiting area ahead of other passengers, the entire process can be completed in under an hour.

Nevertheless, some passengers still found themselves waiting for a long time to get tested.

Malaysiakini observed that the process was largely the same for a Sandakan flight that arrived at KLIA about 4.45pm yesterday, except that the passengers were split into two groups.

The second group was asked to wait their turn, and the process dragged on to three to four hours.

The passengers spent most of the time idling in the waiting area, which took over two hours. Once this group was called to proceed to the testing area, the process went smoothly and was done in less than an hour.

To help pass time, amenities such as seats, charging stations for phones and food were made available.

However, compliance with mask-wearing could be improved, as some passengers were seen lowering their masks during the long wait, and children can be seen running around with no masks at all.

When asked, a Health Ministry official on duty explained that the waiting time depends on the number of flights arriving at any given time.

The official said that after 3pm, the ministry will change shifts to a larger staff to handle the busier flight schedules in the evening, which also results in a longer wait.

The procedures for passengers arriving from Sabah is different from those arriving from overseas, in that those from Sabah are not required to undergo a 14-day quarantine.

Instead, they only need to be quarantined until their Covid-19 test results are ready, before heading to the nearest health office to remove the pink wristband and be discharged from quarantine.

It is understood that this test result will take three to five days to be ready. - Mkini