Covid-19: Health Ministry to propose to stop flights from India, says Dr Adham

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry will propose to the government to stop flights from India to prevent the spread of the double-mutant Covid-19 virus from spreading in Malaysia, says Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.

He said the proposal will be put forward at the special National Security Council meeting on Monday (April 26), Bernama reports citing the minister.

"This is an important policy decision and we want the government to take immediate action, ” he told a weekly press conference on the Covid-19 situation.

It was reported that India’s capital will be under lockdown following a new coronavirus wave with more than 200,000 fresh daily cases, believed caused by the double-mutant variant of the virus.

He said the ministry will also propose for all travellers arriving from countries that have reported the spread of new variants of concern (VOC) to undergo compulsory quarantine for 14 days from the current 10.

"It will be made compulsory for them to undergo quarantine at the gazetted locations only. This proposal follows concerns that the symptoms from the mutant variants will emerge on the 10th or 11th day, ” he said.

He said the quarantine period was aimed at preventing the spread of new cases caused by the VOC.

"We have two options. Travellers on direct flights from VOC countries will be compelled to observe a 14-day quarantine, while for transit passengers, the quarantine period will be calculated on the day they arrived in the country, ” Bernama quoted him as saying.