PUTRAJAYA – The Health Ministry is studying the possibility of shortening the Covid-19 quarantine period to 10 days from the current 14, for both locals and foreigners.
Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah told a press conference here today that the ministry is in the process of reviewing data on the possible risks arising from the move.
Some countries have isolation periods of just seven days, he said.
“We are looking to see if we can shorten the quarantine from 14 days, but we need to substantiate this with data.
“Currently, we test patients on days one and 13, or if they show symptoms. So far, it has worked well for us.
“But, we are looking at the data to see whether we can shorten it to 12 or 10 days, and see what the risks are.”
He said studies have shown that reducing the quarantine period to 10 days could increase the risk of infection by 5%.
“We need to manage this risk.”
Dr Noor Hisham was responding to a question on whether the government plans to review the quarantine period for foreigners entering the country.
Sought for clarification later, he confirmed to The Vibes that should the duration be shortened, it would not be exclusive to foreigners entering Malaysia, but include all types of quarantine, including that involving locals.
“Rightly, we need to look at any new evidence. As I said earlier, each day brings new lessons about the virus and actions against the virus.” – The Vibes, December 4, 2020
