PUTRAJAYA, 19 April 2020:
The government’s move to impose a mandatory quarantine on returning Malaysians and foreign visitors beginning April 3 has succeeded in containing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said this was evidenced by the Ministry of Health report that it detected 17 positive cases among those quarantined.
“It is the right decision to introduce a mandatory quarantine to all returning Malaysians during phase two of the MCO (Movement Control Order). Some countries implemented self-quarantine at home while some (other countries) did not.
“There are 17 Covid-19 positive cases among those who returned from overseas. Just imagine how these cases would affect others if we just let them go home,” he said at the MCO daily media conference here.
He said even though many were not happy with the move, it was to ensure their health.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said as of yesterday, a total of 16,653 individuals were undergoing the mandatory quarantine at 190 centres across the country.
Yesterday also saw the arrival of 573 Malaysian returnees and they have been placed under the quarantine.
“A total of 11,947 Malaysians returning from overseas have been quarantined since April 3. As of yesterday (April 18), 1,290 individuals have completed the process and are allowed to return home.”
Ismail Sabri also said 72 individuals would return to Sarawak after they have completed the quarantine.
Their flight home would be handled by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), he added.
Today, another 205 Malaysians have returned home from Peru, Bolivia, Sri Lanka and India.
The Malaysian Embassy (Malawakil) in Lima, Peru has sent back 26 Malaysians who were stranded in Peru and Bolivia yesterday.
Wisma Putra in its official Facebook page said all of them returned on special Amaszonas flight chartered by the Malaysian Embassy in Lima – specially rented by Lima Malawakil, flying through Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The aircraft – which departed from La Paz, Bolivia and later stopped in Lima, Peru – also carried passengers of 11 other countries, comprising 22 from Japan, Thailand (12), Brazil (12), China (3), Sweden (3), Australia (3), South Korea (2), Finland (1), Chile (1), Italy (1) and one Peruvian with permanent residency in Japan.
In an earlier posting on Facebook, Wisma Putra also said 179 Malaysians stranded overseas – comprising 82 in Colombo, Sri Lanka and 97 in Chennai, India – were brought home by Malindo Air aircraft yesterday.
Meanwhile, the government’s suggestion to hotel owners to gazette their premises as quarantine centres is a positive step towards reducing operating costs that have to be borne by entrepreneurs in the hotel industry during the MCO period.
Negeri Sembilan chapter of Malaysian Association of Hotels chairman Haziz Hassan said the RM150 per day cost for hotel accommodation designated as quarantine centres – for rooms and food, borne by the government – could at least help them generate income and pay workers’ salaries.
“This proposal is great for the hotel industry because we know their business has been hit hard as they cannot operate in the absence of visitors, but they still have to cover operating costs such as utility bills and related costs.
“So by gazetting their premises as quarantine centres, they can at least generate income to cover the costs involved, such as electricity bills and so on.”
He was commenting on the statement by Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday, welcoming hotel owners to gazette their premises as quarantine centres and those interested can contact the National Disaster Management Agency.
Haziz said to date, three hotels in the state have been gazetted as quarantine centres, Hotel Klana Resort, Hotel Royale Chulan in Seremban and PNB Ilham Resort Port Dickson.
“I was told that in Seremban there were Malaysians returning from overseas and quarantined in 100 hotel rooms here and that the cost of rooms alone borne by the government has exceeded RM200,000 in two weeks, excluding other expenses paid by those who are quarantined.
Haziz also did not rule out the possibility that there would be hoteliers in the state who would have to fold if they do not get support like this from the government.
– Bernama