Many still flouting home quarantine rules – KJ

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 28 – Many individuals under home quarantine have been found to have flouted the rules based on the tracking done by the MySejahtera application (Dec 1-20) and action will be taken against these individuals, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today.

These individuals have been been found to have visited shops and places outside their home despite being under quarantine, he said during a press conference which gave an update on the Covid-19 situation.

He also called on those returning from Haj, as well as others from overseas to ensure that they follow the home quarantine rules while carrying out Covid-19 screen testing daily.

Some of those who had returned from Haj had tested negative before going for Haj and also upon return from Haj but subsequently they had tested positive, hence it was important for them to test daily.

He said since 20 of those who had returned from Haj had tested for the Omicron virus, it was critical that they also isolated themselves during the quarantine period as their mingling with family members could cause the virus to spread if they had been infected.

He also reminded those planning to attend small-scale year end gatherings to carry out before Covid-19 screenings before attending such events.

During the Christmas period, there were no reports of any significant rise in Covid-19 cases, and this has come about as many people had followed the SOPs, he said.

He also called on Malaysians to avoid travel to 18 countries listed as high risk for Omicron.

Asked on the Health Ministry’s measures for the recent flood victims, Khairy said the ministry has directed all state and district health authorities to provide medicines to all the flood relief centres in the country.

He also said the teams place in the centres were instructed to carry out tests on those showing any symptoms of the Covid-19 virus.

Meanwhile, Health Director General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said 406 flood victims had tested positive for the virus and they were under quarantine.