Federal Minister Drops Sabah Trip After Quarantine Exemption Letter Goes Viral

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Abd Latiff Ahmad received special permission to enter Sabah without having to undergo quarantine.KOTA KINABALU: Rural development minister Abd Latiff Ahmad is postponing his trip to Sabah after netizens were angered by a special exemption given to the minister to forego the 14-day compulsory quarantine order to enter the state.
The minister and his 30-member delegation were supposed to be in Sabah today and start his official visit tomorrow.
In a statement posted on its social media page, the ministry said, due to the spike in new Covid-19 cases that breached 11,079 cases yesterday, the visit from July 15 to 18 will be postponed to another suitable date.
“The ministry is always observant and compliant with the SOPs in its efforts to curb the pandemic.
“The ministry apologises for any inconvenience arising from this matter.”
Earlier today, a leaked letter purportedly issued by the state secretary’s office granting the exemption to Latiff and his entourage made the rounds on social media, including WhatsApp groups, much to the anger of netizens.
The exemption letter which the state secretary said was for ‘internal circulation’ only.The special permission to enter Sabah and the quarantine exemption were given to the ministry’s delegation, subject to a risk assessment by the Sabah health department.
It was also stated in the letter that the special entry permission was granted based on the entry SOPs into Sabah, whereby visitors had to take a mandatory RT-PCR test five days before coming into the state.
When contacted, state secretary Safar Untong told FMT that the letter was only meant for internal circulation.
“The letter should not have reached the public. I do not wish to comment (further),” he said.
Sabah has a strict entry SOP that requires everyone to undergo a 14-day isolation at either gazetted quarantine centres or, for returning Sabahans, their own homes.
The SOPs state that quarantine exemptions are not a choice but that considerations could be made after a risk assessment by the health department.
After the letter made the rounds, social media users claimed that the government was enforcing double standards, that certain people or VIPs were afforded special treatment but requests by ordinary citizens were not entertained even when it involved emergencies.
Others say that residents in the state would be put under unnecessary risks because the minister and his delegation are coming from the peninsula where new infections are extremely high and that they would be visiting several districts in Sabah.
Speaking to FMT, former Sabah health minister Frankie Poon slammed the quarantine exemption given by the state government.
“This is absolute rubbish. Why do you allow them to come in without undergoing quarantine?
“Why are they so special (and) why are other people not afforded the same treatment?,” he said, adding the state could experience another surge in the coming weeks if the government kept giving such exemptions. - FMT

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