KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians who are in Singapore but want to return home during the circuit breaker measures period should remain in Singapore for another two weeks, said Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday (Apr 7), Dr Noor Hisham said the Malaysian government is still discussing with the Singapore government on the way forward.
He added that those who want to return to Malaysia will need to be screened at the checkpoints. They would also be subject to quarantine.
READ: Malaysia identifies 2 new COVID-19 clusters resulting from mass gathering events
Malaysian Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said on Monday that Malaysians working in Singapore can only return if they have been certified free of the COVID-19 infection by Singaporean health authorities.
He said that this is the initial agreement between the Malaysian and Singapore governments that those returning must be screened for COVID-19.
“Our instruction is that they can’t return unless they get approval that they are free from COVID-19 from the Singapore government,” he said at a press conference on Monday afternoon.
“After going through the screening process they have to get a letter from the Singapore authorities that they tested negative for COVID-19. Only then they are allowed to return. This is our agreement,” he claimed.
In response to queries from CNA, Singapore’s Ministry of Health said on Monday that the Singapore Government does not require foreigners exiting the country to be swabbed for COVID-19 on non-clinical grounds.
“COVID-19 testing is performed, when clinically indicated, for patients and close contacts of patients,” said the ministry.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
More Stories
Using Social Media As a Communication Tool During Disaster Recovery
How Recording Your Consulting Sessions Can Help You to Work Less and Get Paid More
Active Inquiry in Organizational Change