SYMPTOMATIC travellers departing from virus hotspot Sabah are advised to undergo Covid-19 screening in the state, said director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

“If they are symptomatic it is advisable to get tested in Kota Kinabalu. Otherwise if (they) are positive and symptomatic, (they) will infect others,” he told the Malaysian Insight in a brief text message today. 

Noor Hisham said screening will also be conducted at airports and those with symptoms will not be allowed to fly. 

The Health Ministry has made it compulsory for travellers departing Sabah after the state polls to get screened and go under home quarantine, effective today.

Screening began from today at domestic and international entry points and will be done until October 10. 

The move comes after the Health Ministry detected 21 new Covid-19 cases among people arriving in the peninsula from Sabah as of yesterday. 

Politicians who have gone to campaign in the state have already started getting tested for Covid-19. 

Former prime minister Najib Razak was among those who has adhered to the ministry’s standard operating procedures and has gotten tested for the coronavirus.

“Anyhow, prioritise your health and loved ones.

“We have to take care of ourselves, for the sake of those close to us. I have done my Covid-19 test. Hopefully it’s negative,” he said on Facebook today.

The Pekan MP also added that he had no symptoms. 

Subang MP Wong Chen, who was in the state between September 12 and 14, said he directly went to Sunway Medical Centre upon his arrival in Kuala Lumpur to get the RT-PCR test done.

“I stayed in Inanam, 10km from Kota Kinabalu city centre and I moved around only in the KK area. I was never in the Lahad Datu and Tawau area where clusters were starting to form,” he said. 

“I self-quarantined, away from my home, until the test results came out. I got the results on September 15, with no Covid-19 detected. The doctors tell me this test is 99.9% accurate, even two and a half hours after exposure to Covid-19,” he added.

As of 12 pm yesterday, there were more than 700 cases in Sabah. 

Semporna, Tawau, Lahad Datu and Kunak had been declared as red zones after reporting more than 40 cases. – September 27, 2020.