Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin will announce more relaxed quarantine requirements for close contacts of Covid-19 patients next week.
The new measures are expected as the Omicron wave drives Malaysia’s case numbers to record highs, but the number of patients with severe symptoms did not rise as much.
At a press conference in Putrajaya today, Khairy noted that the rising number of cases also meant more people are classified as close contacts and would need to be quarantined.
“When this happens, the disruption to the economy, work management, and so on is very clear.
“The health director-general has already issued a circular introducing a protocol where close contacts among healthcare workers would no longer be required to isolate if they have no symptoms, and only need to perform a (Covid-19) test on certain days.
“We may use the same protocol when we feel we can implement it for the public,” he said regarding the upcoming announcement.
In the meantime, Khairy said he has asked health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah to inform the private healthcare sector that they can also adopt the same protocol.
High-risk and low-risk
Earlier, Malaysiakini reported that a circular was issued on Tuesday stipulating that healthcare workers identified as close contacts may be classified as low risk or high risk depending on the nature of the exposure.
An example of a low-risk exposure is where both the patient and the close contact were wearing masks, while an example of a high-risk exposure is where the two live in the same house and share the bathroom or kitchen.
Among other rules, those who are classified as low-risk and have no symptoms are not barred from working, and are only required to monitor for symptoms for 14 days and get tested if they develop symptoms.
For comparison, current protocols for the public in Malaysia require close contacts to quarantine between five and 10 days from the day of exposure, depending on their vaccination status. A test is required only if they develop symptoms, and no distinction is made for the degree of risk involved in the exposure.
Breach of quarantine requirements is punishable with a RM1,000 compound.
In the US, the Centers for Disease Control recommends that close contacts who have up-to-date vaccinations (including any booster shots, if eligible) do not need to quarantine if they do not have symptoms.
However, they are asked to take several precautions such as taking a Covid-19 test and wearing a well-fitted mask for at least 10 days whenever they are around other people, including while at home.
In the UK, vaccinated persons are not legally required to quarantine but are “strongly advised” to take a Covid-19 test daily for seven days.
In Singapore, close contacts are required to undergo a five-day monitoring period. They must self-isolate immediately and take a Covid-19 test but may resume normal activities for the day if the result is negative.
If they want to leave their house on subsequent days during the monitoring period, however, they must take the test again for that day and are allowed to proceed if the result is still negative.
MySejahtera technical support
On another matter, Khairy said his ministry will be setting up counters in several locations to provide technical support for those encountering problems involving the MySejahtera app.
This is in addition to the existing virtual MySejahtera helpdesk that is available online.
“We will certainly continue with the virtual helpdesk, but there are still unresolved complaints such as having to wait for a long time for vaccination certificates and so on. We will open a physical helpdesk,” he said.
The first MySejahtera helpdesk counter will be opened at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur vaccination centre on Feb 19, followed by the Ideal Convention Centre vaccination centre on Feb 26.
The facility will be expanded to other states in the future, the minister added.- Mkini
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