PETALING JAYA, July 21: Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob today announced the end of home quarantine for those returning to the country.
“The special Cabinet meeting has decided that from Friday onwards, all Malaysians and foreigners who enter the country will be quarantined in quarantine centres decided by the government,” he said today.
“From Friday, there will be no more home quarantine.”
The full cost of the quarantine will be borne by those in quarantine.
The new ruling has to do with the fact that Covid-19 cases have risen over the past few days compared with the previous weeks, and six of the 21 new cases yesterday were imported.
Of the six new imported cases, four involved Malaysians while two were foreigners allowed to enter the country for work.
The total number of infected patients nationwide as of yesterday was 8,800, with 122 active cases.
Noting the photo on social media of a woman seen in public wearing an armband denoting she was being quarantined at home, Ismail said such “stubborn” and “extremely irresponsible” behaviour increased the risk of Covid-19 spreading in the country.
He said the government took such incidents seriously, and reminded the public that flagrant flouting of the law could result in fines of RM1,000 or six-month jail terms.
Ismail also said it was no longer mandatory for Malaysians overseas to undertake Covid-19 swab tests three days before their arrival in the country. The rule still applies to foreigners.
Meanwhile, 80 people were detained yesterday for flouting SOPs under the recovery movement control order.
Thirty-seven were arrested in pubs and nightclubs,and 43 were arrested for activities which made social distancing difficult.
Ismail said nightclubs and entertainment centres were still not allowed to operate under the RMCO.
He said authorities had ramped up their monitoring of such premises, which could see their business licences suspended if they continue to break SOPs.
