Inhabitants at areas under an enhanced movement control order (MCO) were screened and tested for Covid-19 before authorities launched a raid on undocumented migrants there.
As such, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah assured that there was no risk of virus outbreak among the 586 undocumented migrants detained yesterday (above).
“In the last two weeks, we had done three swabs for all of them.
“We are sure that they are free from Covid-19 [...]
“Those positive cases have already been removed and admitted to the hospital,” he said when asked about the matter during his daily Covid-19 briefing this evening.
Of the 15,000 tested by the ministry, he said 3,300 were non-citizens.
Noor Hisham’s comments corroborate with Defence Minister Ismail Sabri’s statement earlier today on the raid.
In a surprise move yesterday, hundreds of Immigration Department officials, Health Ministry officials and Civil Defence Force officers descended upon Menara City One, the Malayan Mansion and other buildings along Jalan Masjid India which are all enhanced MCO areas.
Eyewitnesses said that door-to-door checks were conducted and those without documentation were taken away in trucks.
Migrant rights groups have since criticised the crackdown, warning that it will force migrants and refugees to go into hiding and foil the Health Ministry’s mass testing plans.
The NGOs also questioned if social distancing would be enforced in detention centres.
Ismail, meanwhile, denied that the government had been cruel and assured those arrested would be “treated well”.
"We acted cruelly? Not true.
"While living under enhanced MCO, they received the same food (aid) just like our citizens and even when they are taken to the Immigration Depot, they will be treated well," he said. - Mkini
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