The Malaysian Insight

THERE will be no double standards between politicians and ordinary Malaysians when it comes to quarantine procedures, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said everyone, including himself, should adhere to the quarantine procedures set by the Health Ministry.

“On the issue of quarantine, I would like to emphasise that there are no double standards in complying with quarantine instructions.

“I myself am currently undergoing quarantine at home after I chaired a meeting attended by a Covid-19-positive minister.

“This is the SOP (standard operating procedure) set by the Health Ministry,” Muhyiddin said in a live address on Facebook today.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri tested positive yesterday after coming back from Sabah.

The former Federal Territories Mufti was in a meeting with high-level officials including Muhyiddin and director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah on October 3.

Muhyiddin said along with him, seven other ministers and six other deputy ministers have been quarantined after being in contact with Zulkifli.

He added ministers will be reprimanded if they flout quarantine laws and he himself is no exception.

“All of them are no exception to obeying the quarantine instructions. They must abide by the rules and action can be taken if they disobey.

“As prime minister I am no exception to being subjected to the SOP. This is the second time I have undergone quarantine at home since the Covid-19 pandemic hit our country,” Muhyiddin said.

The number of new Covid-19 infections jumped to 691 today, with four deaths also recorded.

Active cases are now 2,936. Of these, 31 patients are in intensive care, with eight requiring intubation.

Noor Hisham warned two days ago that a higher number of daily cases should be expected over the coming week due to targeted and widespread screenings in the four red zones in Sabah and other areas in Kedah. – October 6, 2020.