NGOs warning comes true as third immigration centre hit with Covid-19

Human rights groups' repeated warning that the raid and detention of undocumented migrants during the Covid-19 pandemic would risk outbreaks at immigration detention centres appear to have come true as the country recorded its third of such a cluster.

Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah (photo) today announced another cluster of infections at the Sepang immigration detention depot, a day after announcing a cluster at the Semenyih immigration detention depot.

Before this, a new cluster broke out at the Bukit Jalil immigration detention depot.

"Six cases were found at a new cluster at the Sepang immigration detention depot," Noor Hisham said in a statement today.

Yesterday, Noor Hisham announced the discovery of a new cluster at the Semenyih immigration detention depot with 21 cases.

Today, he announced another 27 new cases at the Semenyih immigration detention depot.

As of yesterday, the Bukit Jalil immigration detention depot had recorded 60 Covid-19 cases.

The country today recorded 60 new Covid-19 cases, 44 of which involved foreigners.

Human rights groups have warned that social distancing measures cannot be properly implemented in detention centres and could become a hotbed for Covid-19.

The government has adopted a standard operating procedure to round up undocumented migrants in enhanced movement control order (MCO) areas when the lockdown is about to be lifted.

The enhanced MCO confines all residence to their homes to allow health screenings for Covid-19.

Putrajaya has maintained that it must uphold the rule of law and cannot simply let off people who entered the country illegally when the lockdown is lifted.

The Health Ministry also tests all detainees for Covid-19 before placing them in detention centres.

However, with the outbreaks at the three detention centres, the Health Ministry said it is investigating whether the virus was brought in by Immigration staff or whether some detainees had slipped through the cracks during the testing process. - Mkini