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PETALING JAYA: A former deputy minister has questioned the advisability of lifting the quarantine requirement for travelers from Sabah, saying it goes against the effort to reduce Covid-19 transmissions.
“The situation in Sabah is far from under control,” said Dr. Lee Boon Chye, who was deputy health minister in the Pakatan Harapan government.
The mandatory 14-day quarantine rule for travelers from Sabah who test negative for Covid-19 was lifted yesterday. The Health Ministry said that a risk assessment on the Covid-19 situation had suggested a downward trend in Sabah.
Lee disagreed, saying there were still many groups active in the state.
He noted that Sabah, in recent days, had been recording triple-digit cases.
“To say that the situation in Sabah is improving is wrong,” he told FMT.
Former Prime Minister Najib Razak also questioned the merits of the decision.
While noting that the number of new Covid-19 cases in Sabah had declined since last week, he noted that the numbers for “other detection categories” remained high.
“In my opinion, the cases in these categories are the most dangerous because they are not related to any identified group and each case is capable of producing a new group,” he said.
But Najib said he hoped the government had good reasons for its decision.
“I hope there is no political motive as there are still MPs in Sabah who may be banned from voting for the 2021 budget due to the quarantine period,” he said.
If that is true, I would prefer that voting day be postponed for the 2021 budget. “
Dr Vikkineshwaran Siva Subramaniam, who heads Malaysia Medics International, said there is always a risk that someone who tests negative upon arrival from Sabah may test positive later.
“People who have traveled from high-risk places should practice self-quarantine,” he said. “We need to take responsibility for our health.
“Don’t always trust higher powers to tell us what to do. If you think you may be at risk for yourself or others, do the right thing, ”he said.
