TRAVELLERS returning home from their holiday in Langkawi should not be exempted from taking a Covid-19 test, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said.

Even though the island in Kedah is in a tourism “bubble” and deemed safe for the fully vaccinated to holiday there, screenings should still be made compulsory for all who have gone there, the former health minister told The Malaysian Insight.

This is because there is no certainty one would not contract the virus during their stay on the island.

“We don’t want visitors to bring the Covid-19 virus to Langkawi, so they need to do their test before going on their trip.

“Similarly, we don’t want visitors to bring the virus back to their respective places, as they could well be infected during their stay,” Dzulkefly said.

Tourist screening for departures to the island is part of the travel bubble pilot project, which was launched on Malaysia Day.

Travellers are screened at the airport before they depart for the island, or can produce a negative test result taken within 48 hours prior to departure.

As of yesterday, the Health Ministry has traced 10 Covid-19 cases from the pre-departure screening, of which five were traced on the first day, four on the second day and one on the third day.

Dzulkefly, who is the chairman for Selangor Covid-19 task force, suggested travellers use the RTK-Antigen self-test kits to test themselves before returning home.

Especially with the highly contagious Delta variant prevalent, he said testing would be a wise move to prevent the virus from spreading to other parts of the country.

“They (travellers) need to get themselves tested, especially if their stay is more than five days and have any mild symptoms, before leaving Langkawi, using a saliva self-test kit.

“Other than by air, those coming by road are from Kedah, Perlis or Penang, where the Delta variant is also quite ubiquitous. So, l would think it is wise to have them tested before leaving, using a saliva RTK-Ag test kit,” he said.

Bearing in mind the incubation period, Dzulkefly said that the saliva RTK-Antigen test would also be pertinent, especially if they feel unwell before starting work in the coming days.

“These are the ‘new inconveniences’ of weekly testing and not going out to work when found positive will be the ‘next normal’.

“(This is how it will be) if we want to live with the virus and accept the fact that it is around us,” he said.

The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry has said it is targeting about 200,000 domestic tourist arrivals to Langkawi between this month and December.

Its minister Nancy Shukri said about 30,000 tourists are expected to visit the resort island this month following its reopening under the tourism bubble pilot project.

Dzulkefly said the Langkawi travel bubble is surely a respite and a breather for Malaysians but advised them to observe strict standard operating procedure, if they truly want to enjoy and maintain the newly found freedom.

He expressed his concern and doubts if the hospital on the island could handle a sudden surge in cases.

“If we do not apply the basics of public health, all our good efforts may go to waste. Langkawi active cases are around 700 and daily cases around 40.

“The last thing we want is an outbreak in Langkawi because I’m not sure whether the Langkawi Hospital could handle that surge,” he added.

Dzulkefly said Malaysia should learn from Singapore’s current experience, where the southern neighbour has declared itself to be in the endemic phase but has seen a spike in cases and has had to move back to targeted testing and contact tracing.

According to the district health office in Langkawi, the 14-day moving average chart for the island shows it has 648 active cases and a total of 4,712 overall cases. Forty-two were reported yesterday.

The health office said no cases has been traced among travellers arriving on the island yet. – September 20, 2021.