Ministers or ordinary Malaysians: Covid-19 can't tell the difference, doc tells Adham

 

The Covid-19 virus does not know how to distinguish between ministers or ordinary Malaysians, a health expert said today in a swipe at Health Minister Dr Adham Baba's order to relax quarantine rules for fellow cabinet members.

Veteran physician Dr Milton Lum Siew Wah said it was also disappointing to note Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah's apparent failure to speak up against the health minister's order.

Yesterday, the health minister issued an order providing more lenient quarantine rules for his fellow ministers on official overseas trips which essentially reduces ministers' quarantine period from 10 days to three upon their return.

"It appears that the DG has not put his foot down, and it is very disappointing.

"We don't know if he did, but he was ignored. It appears that he didn't," Lum told Malaysiakini.

Last Dec 13, Noor Hisham said the decision to shorten the mandatory quarantine period for inbound travellers and Covid-19 close contacts, from 14 days to 10 days, was made based on a review of global clinical data.

Noor Hisham at the time said clinical data showed a trend of countries reducing their mandatory quarantine days, as well as the Covid-19 infectivity rate being highest in the first seven days and reducing over time.

Lum, however, pointed out there must be only one rule applied as the virus does not distinguish between a minister or otherwise.

"If ministers think they can get away with three days of quarantine, they are sadly mistaken.

"This order exposes the minister to danger. It also exposes the people who interact with the minister to danger, and worse still it sends a very negative message to the population," he said.

Lum, who also writes on issues surrounding Covid-19, said the order could also provide a legal loophole in enforcing the 10-day quarantine rule.

With the example set by ministers, Lum said that an ordinary citizen could use the same argument if ever charged in court for breaching quarantine.

"If you're going to charge somebody for not adhering to 10 days in quarantine, their lawyer might come out and say, 'My client did three days what?'

"How is the prosecution going to go further?" he questioned.

The order, cited as the "Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease (Exemption) Order 2021", was published in the federal gazette yesterday.

It was signed by Adham and takes effect today.

The order states: "The minister (Adham) exempts cabinet ministers who return from any overseas official visits from the application of Section 15 of the Act".

This was in reference to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Act 1988 (Act 342).

Section 15 states: "An authorised officer may order any contact to undergo observation in such place and for such period as he may think fit, or to undergo surveillance until he may be discharged without danger to the public".

With Adham's order, ministers returning from an official overseas trip will instead undergo "observation for three days or undergo surveillance until discharged without danger to the public".

Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein is currently on an official trip to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, while Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin returned from Jakarta three days ago. - Mkini