Covid-19 has been detected among Bukit Jalil Immigration Depot detainees arrested before and during the movement control order (MCO) despite the two groups being isolated from one another.
In his daily press briefing, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said 25 new cases have been detected among the detainees, bringing the total number of cases at the depot cluster to 60.
The 35 cases announced yesterday were from Block A - where those arrested before March 18 are being held in isolation from those arrested during the MCO.
Among the 25 cases detected as of noon today - 24 were from Block B and one was from Block C.
“Block B and C are (those arrested) during the enhanced MCO,” he said, adding that all 25 are Pakistani nationals.
During the enhanced MCO, immigration authorities had conducted mass raids on undocumented migrants in Selayang, Masjid India, Petaling Jaya Old Town and Chow Kit.
Following the outbreak at the depot, Noor Hisham said the ministry is in the midst of screening all 1,400 detainees there regardless of when they were detained.
“Our policy is before we send them back to their respective countries, we will screen them and test them first.
“Only negative individuals - we will send them back. For those positive (cases) we will have to admit them, isolate them and treat them,” he explained.
He added that all 114 Immigration department staff at the depot have already been screened and none have been found positive for Covid-19.
The ministry has disinfected the Bukit Jalil depot and will next travel to all immigration depots nationwide to conduct health checks as well as provide basic treatment services for free.
Semenyih depot screened
Noor Hisham said that the ministry is also in the midst of screening detainees at the Semenyih Immigration Depot in Selangor.
This is after two Covid-19 cases were detected there.
Malaysiakini understands that the duo was found positive only after returning to their home country - Myanmar.
The two cases are thus not included in local case tallies.
According to The Myanmar Times, the country has recorded 11 imported cases from Malaysia - all migrant workers who were recently deported. - Mkini
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