It was a tale of two standards for 44-year-old Lee Kwei Cheong who is stuck in quarantine and is appealing to see his critically-ill wife, amid a national controversy where a minister skipped quarantine and even turned up in Parliament.
"The doctor found that the virus in my wife's blood had spread to her heart, lungs and now the brain," Lee spoke from his quarantine centre in a video call organised by Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng at his Kuala Lumpur office today.
Lee, who returned from Singapore and is undergoing a 14-day quarantine at Armada Hotel, Johor Bahru, sought Lim's help to raise his plight.
The compulsory quarantine for those entering Malaysia from overseas is required by the government as a preventive measure against Covid-19.
Lim's 39-year-old wife, Cheah Chan Lian, was initially discharged from Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Bahru after recovering from dengue but was later admitted to Hospital Tuanku Jaafar, Seremban due to a blood infection.
Cheah was then transferred to Pantai Hospital in Cheras for specialist treatment and is now at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre in Petaling Jaya.
Lee said his three children - aged 12, 14 and 16 - had to temporarily stop going to school since his wife was admitted to hospital for the second time on July 14 due to the blood infection.
He added that his children need to be transferred to a new school from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur but this could not be done while he is in quarantine and his wife is in hospital.
Lee said relatives are presently taking care of his three children.
He is also in a tough position, having recently lost his job as a technician at an electronics factory in Singapore after working there for 18 years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I have to borrow money from friends and family members to survive," he said.
RM2,100 quarantine bill vs RM1,000 fine
Lee, who has to foot his RM2,100 quarantine bill, said he also has to pay for his wife's RM60,000 medical expenses.
He also questioned if he can be allowed to pay a RM1,000 fine instead of having to pay RM2,100 for his 14-day quarantine.
"Why are we not allowed to pay RM1,000 fine and not go into quarantine.
"It's unfair that the minister does not need to quarantine but we do," he said in reference to Plantation, Industries and Commodities Minister Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali.
Lee said some 500 people are in quarantine with him.
Yesterday, the Health Ministry confirmed that Khairuddin had violated quarantine and was issued with a RM1,000 fine.
He returned from Turkey on July 7 and turned up in Parliament six days later, on July 13.
Isolation at quarantine centres only came into force on July 24 but prior to that, overseas returnees were still required to self-isolate for 14 days and were not allowed to leave home.
Lee, who crossed the Johor Bahru-Singapore causeway on foot, is now in his 11th day of quarantine.
He is hoping for the government to make a special exemption so that he can see his critically-ill wife.
"That is why I am asking for the health minister to allow it and I asked help from YB (Lim)," Lee added.
Authorities to decide on prosecution
In a related development, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department deputy director (Investigation/Legal) Mior Faridalathrash Wahid confirmed that police have received 27 police reports against Khairuddin for violating quarantine.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Adham Baba said he is leaving it to the authorities to decide whether Khairuddin should also face prosecution amid complaints of unfair treatment.
The maximum compound under Act 342 (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988) is RM1,000. If the authorities wish to have a separate prosecution, that is up to them," he was quoted as saying by Utusan Online.
Khairuddin's test and retest for Covid-19 have returned negative.
Overseas returnees who test negative for their first test are still required to undergo quarantine and must retake another Covid-19 test on the 13th day of their quarantine before they are released the following day.
If tested positive, they will be sent to a hospital for treatment.
On Aug 14, a 72-year-old woman was fined RM8,000 and given a day in jail for violating a home quarantine order. A retest found her to be positive with Covid-19.
On Aug 13, 57-year-old Nezar Mohamed Sabur Batcha was fined RM12,000 and sentenced to five months in jail for violating a home quarantine order. He was the index case for the Sivagangga cluster. - Mkini
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