The Malaysian Insight

THE Health Ministry is reviewing Covid-19 testing protocols at all 14 Immigration detention centres nationwide following a spike in the number of infections earlier this week.

A few hundred migrant workers detained at Immigration detention centres in Bukit Jalil, Semenyih and Sepang tested positive for the coronavirus after tests were carried out on nearly 5,000 detainees and healthcare personnel there.

“We screened everyone, whether it was a detainee or a staff,” Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah told a press conference in Putrajaya today. 

“Now, we are discussing the procedures in our other detention centres, including four in Sabah manned by the National Security Council (NSC). 

Noor Hisham said although no Covid-19 infections have been detected outside the three Immigration depots in Selangor, the ministry is considering new screening protocols.  

“We are formalising the protocol to test everyone before they are admitted to the detention centres,” he said, adding that the ministry is also looking at testing protocols for prison facilities. 

Noor Hisham also reported no deaths among migrant workers who tested positive for Covid-19.

“We will make sure we give them the best treatment. The treatment is for two weeks, then we send them back.

“For those who tested negative, we are in the process of sending them back to their countries. Nepal, Bangladesh and Indonesia have indicated that they are willing to accept them back as testing has been done.”

Since the conditional movement control order (CMCO) was imposed on May 4, 1,189 new cases have been recorded. Only 22.7%, or 270 cases, involved locals, with the remaining involving foreigners.

They include the 383 cases detected at the three Immigration depots in Bukit Jalil, Semenyih and Sepang. 

Noor Hisham today announced 10 new cases of infected patients over the last 24 hours, the lowest on record since movement restrictions were imposed on March 18.

Yesterday, the ministry recorded 15 new cases.    

The CMCO is slated to end on June 9. Noor Hisham said movement restrictions may be further relaxed if new infections remain low. – May 28, 2020.