15-20 percent overseas returnees did not self-quarantine, says Health DG

CORONAVIRUS | The government decided to impose mandatory quarantine to all overseas returnees after finding that many had flouted its self-isolation order.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said they estimated between 15 to 20 percent of returnees still ventured out of their homes when they were supposed to isolate themselves in their residences.

"Our problem now is that we need to take action against our own citizens. The first phase was to have them quarantine themselves at home.

"But we found that between 15 to 20 percent sometimes did not abide by the quarantine order. They still went out.

"So, our action is to tighten the rule. We have to make sure all are quarantined either at government premises or hotels which have been identified," he told a press conference on daily Covid-19 updates in Putrajaya.

On Tuesday, senior minister (security cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the National Security Council has decided that all Malaysians returning from abroad starting April 3 will have to be quarantined in government-operated facilities for 14 days.

This was decided in view of trends in some countries, such as China, which has seen a drop in local transmissions but a rise in imported Covid-19 cases.

Noor Hisham also reiterated this today when he said it is crucial for the country to prevent imported cases from further spreading the virus.

"This is why it is important for us to have all the returnees screened (for Covid-19) and quarantined for 14 days," he said. - Mkini