[ad_1]
KOTA KINABALU: Dissatisfaction is growing among students at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) who are now forced to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine after staying on campus for more than 40 days.
They are unhappy as students from most other Malaysian universities only need to undergo home quarantine for two weeks.
An FMT reader named Wong Haoen expressed concern that these UMS students were unable to join their families.
He asked why UMS refused to send the students back home even though they had been housed in their on-campus shelters for more than 40 days, with no exposure to Covid-19.
“There was no clear response from the Health Department about the additional 14-day quarantine required by UMS students,” he said.
A circular released by UMS on April 30 revealed that the Sabah Covid-19 Command Center had urged the university to comply with the recommendations of the Department of Health.
These rules include the 14-day quarantine. Once they are found negative to the tests, students can obtain authorization letters to return to their home cities.
The higher education ministry has allowed students to return to their homes since April 27, provided they live in a green area and return to their home cities that are also in green areas.
Kota Kinabalu is in the yellow zone now with 14 active cases of Covid-19 since April 28. UMS is within this zone.
A UMS spokesperson told FMT that the university is subject to procedures established by the Department of Health, the National Security Council and state authorities.
“We want to make sure that our students return home safely as soon as possible. However, there are procedures established by the authorities to which we must adhere, ”he said.
Sabah’s director of health, Dr. Christina Rundi, did not respond to inquiries.
Prime Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal said students returning from peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak may undergo a 14-day quarantine at their home rather than at a state-provided quarantine center in Sabah.
He said parents must ensure that their children comply with the home quarantine order during this MCO period.
“However, students coming from red zones or infected areas must enter state-provided quarantine centers.”
The quarantine period will depend on the health officials.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST DATA ON THE SITUATION OF COVID-19 IN MALAYSIA
False or not? Check out our fast fake news destroyer here.
