11 Malaysians abroad infected by Covid-19 identified

Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says a task force will monitor Malaysians in countries most affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.

PUTRAJAYA: Wisma Putra has identified 11 Malaysians overseas who have been infected by Covid-19 so far.

Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said nine of the 11 are in Singapore, including two who have been discharged while the rest are receiving treatment.

“The other two were in Japan and they have already returned to Malaysia.

“However, the numbers will be verified with other ministries so there will be no discrepancies with what is being announced,” he said at a press conference here today.

Hishammuddin said a total of 54,430 Malaysians in 10 countries most affected by the Covid-19 outbreak have registered with Malaysian diplomatic missions in those countries.

Of the total, 23,179 are in the United States, 14,929 in China, 4,297 in South Korea, 380 in Italy, 67 in Iran, 6,019 in Japan, 2,401 in France, 2,218 in Germany, 150 in Spain and 790 in Switzerland.

He said the number does not include 841 civil servants and their families based in the 10 countries.

Hishammuddin said he has directed his deputy, Kamaruddin Jaafar, to lead a task force to monitor the Malaysians overseas.

The task force’s report will be shared with the public, if required, he said.

“I have been receiving calls from foreign ministers and if we can get to coordinate at Wisma Putra level with those countries involved, and share best practices, I think we have a better chance of combating this virus,” he said. - FMT