Covid-19: Illegal migrants at tabligh event can test without fear

PETALING JAYA: The government has reiterated its call to everyone, including undocumented migrants, who attended the tabligh gathering at Sri Petaling Mosque last month to voluntarily come forward and screen for Covid-19.

Senior minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pic) said the illegal migrants should not be worried about their status as the government has agreed not to make it an issue but would instead focus on curbing the pandemic.

“I have discussed (this) with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) earlier. Even if there are migrants including Rohingya or others who do not have valid travel documents, what is important now is for them to come forward without any fear.

“We will not focus on their documents but rather on whether they are Covid-19 positive.

“We want to vet them. The most extreme case that could happen is only that we quarantine them; that is all, ” he said in a televised conference on Sunday (March 22).

Health director-general Datuk Seri Noor Hisham Abdullah had earlier confirmed another death, a doctor from Hospital Tuanku Fauziah (HTF), saying that the total number of deaths due to Covid-19 in the country now stood at nine.

Ismail said there were still those who refused to voluntarily come forward to get tested.

“We want to protect their health, as well as that of their family members.

“This is because there had been reports of death not just of the tabligh members but also their family members. Please do not be scared, ” he said.