'Sabah travel restrictions loosened due to lower Covid-19 positive rate'

 

COVID-19 | The Health Ministry decided to loosen restrictions for those flying out of Sabah because the positive detection rate for Covid-19 has decreased, said its director-general. 

Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that the ministry had started testing people travelling out of Sabah for Covid-19 from Sept 27 and the positive detection rate has since gone down. 

“We had a six percent positive detection rate after the first day but the rate is decreasing. After six weeks (of screening), the rate has gone down to 1.2 percent.

“The issue is whether there is a need to quarantine for 14 days when the test is negative. 

"We think of Sabah as a hotspot area but if we look at the peninsula, the red zones in Selangor are now higher than in Sabah but we do not screen those who leave Selangor," 

“So we feel, after six weeks, we have decided to stand down (on the restrictions) and we will monitor the current situation and see what is needed,” Noor Hisham explained at a press conference in Putrajaya today.

He was answering a question on what criteria the ministry used to approve someone’s request to shorten their quarantine.

This came after Keningau MP Jeffrey Kitingan caused a furore in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday because he attended Parliament before completing 14 days of self-quarantine upon returning from Sabah.

The Dewan Rakyat was later informed that the Health Ministry had released him from quarantine early.

Health Minister Dr Adham Baba also announced yesterday evening that those flying out of Sabah no longer need to be quarantined for two weeks. 

Noor Hisham also explained that there are four categories of people returning from Sabah, including:

1. Those who tested positive who will be immediately hospitalised and quarantined.

2. Those who tested negative but who had contact with a positive case will also be quarantined.

3. Those who tested negative but display symptoms will also be quarantined.

4. Those who tested negative, had no contact with a positive case and are without symptoms will be placed under a home surveillance order starting Oct 11.

However, he noted that there is a provision under Act 342 (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988) which allows the ministry to release an individual from quarantine or the home surveillance order earlier, as long as they are not a danger to others.

“If there is a request (to shorten the quarantine period), the committee will look into it and consider it," he said. 

In making the consideration, Noor Hisham said the test that is supposed to be taken on the 13th day of quarantine will instead be done earlier.

“We will still do a test, maybe on the 11th or 12th day.

“If the test is negative and they have no symptoms, then only we will consider it. We will look at the reasons why they want to shorten the quarantine period,” he added. - Mkini