Johor govt: Malaysian returnees to undergo strict screening amid spike in Covid-19 cases in Singapore

Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman R. Vidyananthan

JOHOR BARU: The state government will continue to ensure that Malaysians coming back from Singapore go through a strict screening process following a sharp rise in the number of positive Covid-19 cases in the island republic.

Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman R. Vidyananthan said the entry procedures of Malaysians returning from Singapore have been heavily monitored by the state Health and Immigration departments.

"If they show symptoms during the screening, they will be referred to the hospital for further action.

"For workers with a working permit and a letter confirming a negative Covid-19 Swab test, they will be allowed to go home and are given a health alert card, home assessment tools, home quarantine notice and a rapid test kit (RTK) D13," he said on Facebook live on Sunday (April 19).

He added that those with a working permit but without the negative Covid-19 confirmation letter will be sent to a health screening centre in Johor Baru where further action on whether they should be referred to a hospital or a quarantine station would be decided.

"For those who are not working in Singapore, such as permanent residents or long-term pass holders, they will also be sent to the health screening centre where further action will be made as well," he said.

Vidyananthan said that the cooperation between the Malaysian and Singapore governments has helped a lot in ensuring the health and welfare of Malaysian workers are well monitored.

"When there is any information of positive cases or close contact, it would be shared between both parties, which allows contact tracing to be carried out immediately," he said.

It was earlier reported that the number of Covid-19 cases in Singapore had exceeded those in Malaysia, with the island republic recording a total of 5,992 cases as of Saturday (April 18).

This includes some 942 new cases reported on Saturday alone, the highest number of new cases reported by the country in a day.