DG explains why Santhara could home quarantine after pilot questions 'double standard'

 

Federal Territories deputy minister Edmund Santhara was allowed to undergo home quarantine after returning from New Zealand because the Health Ministry had deemed it appropriate.

Under the present standard operating procedures (SOPs), those arriving from abroad must self-isolate at designated quarantine centres like hotels instead of their own homes.

Asked today why Santhara (above) was allowed the exception, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah pointed to the ministry’s risk assessment procedure.

“The ministry will have to perform risk assessment first and take into account all factors and (the) place of quarantine before giving the recommendation,” he said.

Pressed on Santhara’s case, the top official said the politician had returned from an area with very few Covid-19 cases and had a “suitable” home.

“Among the considerations (are that) New Zealand (is a) low-risk country (and) he has a suitable home for quarantine,” Noor Hisham answered.

Vaccinated man: Why not me?

Meanwhile, Malaysian S Mani Vannan questioned why he was not allowed to undergo home quarantine despite being fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The airline pilot received his second Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shot in early February. He had taken seven RT-PCR tests and tested negative for all of them before travelling to Malaysia on Feb 23.

Like Santhara, Mani had also returned from an area with few infections - Singapore.

He told Malaysiakini he had appealed for home quarantine to the ministry “many times” since December 2020 but was turned down.

“When I wrote to them, they said 'No, you cannot do house quarantine because it's compulsory for every citizen and non-citizen to go through between seven to 10 days of quarantine at the hotel [...]'

“My query is why do you allow Santhara to go (home) and not me?” he asked.

Earlier this week, Mani sent the ministry an email questioning the "double standard" in allowing the deputy minister to undergo home quarantine but not him.

Mani was released from mandatory quarantine on March 1 and was able to reunite with his mother who suffers from breast cancer. His reason for returning to his hometown in Kulai, Johor was to take care of her.

Malaysia mandates international arrivals to quarantine for 10 days if they have not taken an RT-PCR test before departure. If they take the test three days before departure and test negative, the quarantine period is shortened to seven days.

Santhara became a topic of controversy after it was revealed that the Segamat MP had taken 55 days in official leave to be in New Zealand with his family.

The deputy minister returned recently after spending some 86 days abroad.

Perikatan Nasional has come under criticism for allegedly according preferential treatment to its ministers and government politicians when it comes to the health SOPs, leading many to use the term “antara dua darjat” (double standards). - Mkini