CORONAVIRUS | Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad has admitted that a cabinet meeting yesterday discussed a suggestion to temporarily prohibit China tourists from visiting Malaysia.
However, he said the matter will be announced by Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is also the chairperson of the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
"Please wait for the announcement by the deputy prime minister and Nadma.
"We are always evaluating and assessing (the Covid-19 situation) based on information and evidence," Dzulkefly (above) said.
Asked if it's true that the suggestion involved putting a ban on China tourists from entering the country for a month, the minister declined to comment.
Malaysiakini has learnt that the cabinet had decided on the matter pending formal announcement by Nadma.
Meanwhile, deputy vice-chancellor (Research & Innovation) Norsaadah Abdul Rahman (photo), who was also at the event, refuted the allegation that some Universiti Malaysia volunteers were forced to attend to students from China.
"We have no evidence that the students were forced. There's no element of force.
"In fact, they were briefed several times by medical officers. If they had evidence, they can show to us," she briefly said.
On Feb 16, a media reported that a representative of UM volunteers expressed dissatisfaction over being asked to attend to students from China who are being housed at the 10th Residential College.
The report stated that 550 students from China had returned to the campus and registered on Feb 5.
The volunteer is said to have been involved in conducting body temperature screenings of the students.
Asked if the volunteers were also screened, Norsaadah said they were checked and tested by officers from the Health Ministry.
"The Health Ministry had come and checked. There is no issue and those students tested negative and they were on home surveillance," she said. - Mkini
The right thing for UM to do is sue the media that accused UM of doing so.
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