Health DG: Those returning from Sabah have to undergo Covid-19 screening, home quarantine

PETALING JAYA: Those returning from Sabah to other parts of the country via international entry points of the country will be required to undergo a compulsory quarantine at home, says Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

The Health director-general said that starting from Sunday (Sep 27) to Oct 10, screening activities on those arriving from Sabah would be conducted.

He said this includes having to undergo screening for Covid-19 symptoms and a Covid-19 test.

"All these individuals will be given a letter of home surveillance order (HSO), and will have to wear a quarantine wristband," he said, adding that they would also have to check-in using the MySejahtera application.

“The date of the HSO will begin on arrival until the lab results have been obtained. A release of the HSO will only be given if the lab results for Covid-19 are negative, ” he said in a statement on Saturday (Sept 26).

He said that for those who have to take public transportation such as taxi or ride-hailing services, a letter of approval would be given to them.

“If the individual displays any symptoms of respiratory tract infection within 14 days of returning, they will have to undergo another screening for Covid-19, ” he said.

He also said there would no charge for the Covid-19 tests imposed on individuals returning from Sabah, including non-citizens.

Dr Noor Hisham said that the measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 of those returning from the state will be reviewed from time to time, based on the risk of spread of the disease.

On Friday (Sept 25), Dr Noor Hisham said that there were ten positive Covid-19 cases detected among those who returned from Sabah from Sept 20 to 25, while on Saturday, another 11 cases were detected among returnees.

In the past few weeks, Sabah has recorded a spike of Covid-19 cases, with several new clusters detected with the Benteng LD Cluster alone reporting 776 positive cases.

As the Sabah election concludes on Saturday, many of those involved in the elections are expected to travel back to Peninsular Malaysia.