PUTRAJAYA: The government may consider allowing tens of thousands of students on campuses nationwide to return to their home towns pending a study on a standard operating procedure (SOP) to comply with health concerns and the current movement control order (MCO).
Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the senior minister for security, said authorities must also take into account that some 100,000 students may have to undergo screening for Covid-19 before they are cleared for travel.
At a press conference here today, he said the National Security Council had been told by the health ministry that if the students do not show symptoms, they can be considered free from Covid-19.
“They have stayed on campus for 28 days or so. If we are quarantined two times, and if after 14 days they still do not have symptoms, we can assume that they do not have the infection,” he said.
“So we discussed just now the possibility that we can allow them to go home, but we need to have stringent SOPs in place.”
He added that mass movements of 80,000 to 100,000 students returning home at the same time must be avoided.
“It may be that they will need to be screened before they return to their home towns.”
If students are allowed to go home, he said, the SOP would need to take into account the time frame needed for these screenings.
“There will need to be a discussion between the higher education ministry and the health ministry so that we can see how to help the students go home, and how we can help the parents who have been worried, waiting for their children to come home.”
He said the same would apply for those who wish to go from their home towns to the cities.
“There are also many who have returned to their home towns and now wish to go back to their places of work.
“We will also study this matter, and we will get the views of the health ministry.” - FMT
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