KUALA LUMPUR – Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has denied accusations that Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu had flouted Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) following his recent return from overseas.
According to Khairy, Faizal, commonly referred to as Peja, has already gone through the quarantine required of him after returning to the country.
“Peja returned last week and has already undergone his quarantine,” he briefly said during a press conference at Putrajaya today.
Earlier on, Faizal had been accused of breaking Covid-19 SOPs as he allegedly did not quarantine himself after vacationing for 12 hours in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Terengganu Wanita Angkatan Muda Keadilan chief Yuslaini Azmi had expressed her suspicions regarding the matter, questioning how the minister was able to visit flood victims in Banting, Selangor today since he should still be subjected to the mandatory quarantine.
She said that Faizal’s actions are putting other people at risk, especially with the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant in the country.
“He has admitted to travelling outside of the country, so why was he visiting flood victims today when travellers are supposed to undergo a mandatory quarantine regardless of their Covid-19 test results?
“Is the Health Ministry turning a blind eye to this blatant violation of SOPs by the youth and sports minister ?” she queried.
Faizal is one among many ministers said to be vacationing overseas while the country faced a flood crisis.
Meanwhile, Khairy said that the Health Ministry is considering taking stern action against individuals who defy home surveillance orders (HSOs)
“From December 1 until December 28, data from MySejahtera showed that 1.4% of Covid-19 positive cases that had been given HSOs had not abided by the quarantine period.
“We are considering taking stern action such as compounding the individuals in question,” he said.
He also announced the lifting of the temporary travel ban previously imposed on eight countries, which are South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Khairy said that all of the nations above will now be included in the list of high-risk countries instead, making the total number of countries on the list 18. – The Vibes, December 28, 2021
