Sabah Returnee Leaves Klia Without Quarantine Order Sparks New Cluster

---

 


COVID-19 | A loophole in procedures at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has led to a person who returned from Sabah to walk out without being issued a home quarantine order, said the Health Ministry.
Authorities only noticed the problem when the 65-year-old man went to the hospital after developing symptoms for Covid-19 days later. He was confirmed positive for the virus on Nov 13.
It was too late by then. Authorities discovered he already sparked a new infection cluster, named the Bah Bercham Cluster.
To date, the cluster has five positive cases. Screening to trace possible cases linked to the cluster has so far covered 137 people.
Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah told reporters today that the individual had taken the Covid-19 test within three days prior to his return to the Peninsular from Tawau, Sabah.
Noor Hisham said while returnees are allowed to take the test prior to their departure from Sabah, those who tested negative would still be subjected to a 14-day mandatory quarantine.
"In this case, when the individual arrived at KLIA, the system shows he had indeed taken Covid-19 screening and was found negative.
"By right, in such cases, the individual should then go to the HSO (home-surveillance order) counter to be given the quarantine wristband.
"However, instead, he managed to just walk out (from the airport)," said Noor Hisham during the ministry's daily presser on Covid-19 in Putrajaya this evening.
It is believed the man lives in Perak, as he and the four other positive cases were admitted at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh, Perak.
The ministry had taken note of this issue at KLIA, and authorities are looking into how the man could walk out of the airport without going through the HSO counter.

Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah
"Now we are heightening the procedures," he added.
Noor Hisham said this was the reason why the ministry set a 14-day quarantine for those who returned from Sabah and overseas.
Health authorities, he added, found that seven percent of positive cases involving Sabah returnees were detected on the 13th day of their quarantine period.
He cited this as the reason why the ministry rejected applications by some returnees to shorten their quarantine period.
He said some applications were from civil servants who returned to the peninsular from Sabah after finishing their duties there.
"We are worried because there is still the risk of infectivity, due to the incubation period," he said.
Meanwhile, asked about the Teratai Cluster which involves many workers of Top Glove factories in Klang, Noor Hisham said they have not found any in-community infection linked to the cluster so far.
"Our screening activities are ongoing, and it is focused on the factory workers. So far we have not identified any in-community spread," he said. - Mkini

---