By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, May 1: An individual from Debak has been tested positive for Covid-19 and then negative twice before he was tested positive again.
The case was related to the media by State Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who called on the 287 Sarawakian students who returned from Peninsular Malaysia today to strictly observe the quarantine rules set by the Sarawak government.
“We had a case in Debak where he was tested positive. He was put in the hospital. After that, (he was) tested twice, (results were) negative, (and was) sent home to Debak.
“After he reached Debak, of course, he visited some of his relatives. He was tested again for a final test, (the result was) positive. So we have to quarantine 10 to 15 people.
“That is why, it is very important, for their own sake, as well as their families, please comply (with quarantine rules),” said Uggah who met these returning students at the Kuching International Airport (KIA).
He reiterated that the SOP (standard operating procedure) for returning students coming from green zones was to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine at the point of arrival. These students will be tested on the 10th day and be sent home if they are negative on the 14th day.
Those from the red and orange zone areas, they will be given wristband tags and to undergo test on the seventh day and to be quarantined at home.
The 287 returning students were the first batch of many Sarawakian students who have been stranded in different parts of Peninsular Malaysia due to movement control order.
The government had chartered flights for them, where they were flown from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and arrived KIA around 12.30pm. They are all students from Sultan Idris University of Education (UPSI).
Senior Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who made the necessary arrangement for their return, said recently that as many as 18,000 Sarawkian students are scattered across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Labuan and he was expecting to make arrangement for some 7,000 students.
In the initial stage of MCO, these students were asked to stay put where they were. Following the Ramadan fasting month and the coming Hari Raya and Gawai celebrations, as well as the relaxing of MCO, both federal and Sarawak government, have decided to bring them home. — DayakDaily
