UM: Students offered to help China returnees

PETALING JAYA: Universiti Malaya says students who assisted in processing students returning from China did so of their own free will. UM said it took the decision to run the centralised surveillance procedure and the students offered to help.

“The volunteers were then given tasks such as assisting in registration matters and handing over keys to students who were going through the observation area.

“The volunteers were proactive and gave ideas on how to improve the process. They then executed their ideas voluntarily, ” UM said in a statement issued yesterday.

Student volunteers at UM had earlier claimed that they were made to handle the “isolation” of students returning from China for the new semester.

In its statement, UM said the staff members were at hand to take over duties in shifts, with time given in between lectures.

“At no time were they instructed to conduct health examinations, ” it added.

UM also clarified that all on duty, including volunteers, were briefed on the Covid-19 (novel coronavirus) and that their work areas were clean.

Meanwhile, the UM Association of New Youth (Umany) said the Tun Ahmad Zaidi Residential College did not meet with requirements of a quarantine centre.

In a statement yesterday, it said there were no separate toilets for those quarantined, no cleaning and disinfection, adding that masks and hand sanitisers were also not provided.