LABUAN – Labuan healthcare personnel are taking extra precautions against the possible spread of Covid-19 by returning umrah pilgrims.
Labuan Health Department Director Dr Ismuni Bohari said umrah pilgrims are required to undergo mandatory RT-PCR tests before returning to Labuan.
“Umrah pilgrims are required to undergo Covid-19 screening upon arrival from performing the umrah pilgrimage, and must wear digital tracking devices throughout their home surveillance and quarantine periods,” he said today.
Dr Ismuni said home quarantine orders can be cancelled and replaced with hotel quarantines if the pilgrims’ houses are not conducive.
“Our healthcare personnel will visit and conduct the necessary checks at their houses. If they fulfil requirements, we will allow them to undergo home quarantine. If not, they will have to go to a hotel,” he said.
Dr Ismuni said healthcare personnel are on standby at Labuan Airport and at the two ferry terminals to monitor the inflow of umrah pilgrims to the duty-free island.
Prior to this, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had said that travellers arriving from Saudi Arabia would be required to wear digital tracking devices throughout their home surveillance and quarantine periods.
He said this was in view of the increasing spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant in Malaysia, with most cases involving individuals returning from their umrah pilgrimages.
He also said that 10 countries have been identified as high-risk Covid-19 countries – the United Kingdom, United States, Denmark, Australia, France, Norway, Canada, India, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia – which would require returnees to wear the tracking devices.
This, he said, was imperative to control the spread of the coronavirus as the ministry found that some of the individuals allowed to undergo home quarantine failed to comply with the directive, mingling with family members and even receiving guests while under quarantine. – Bernama, December 29, 2021
