SARAWAK has banned Chinese students from returning to the state after spending the Lunar New Year back home due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The ban is among steps the state disaster management committee has taken to curb the spread of the virus that has so far infected eight people in Malaysia, all Chinese nationals.

The committee said in a statement last night the ban is in place “until further notice or announcement”.

Sarawak students and school children who have been to China, especially Wuhan and Hubei province recently, have been advised to undergo self-quarantine at home for at least 14 days or seek treatment at the nearest government hospital if they develop symptoms such as cough or fever.

Sarawak has tightened monitoring at the state’s air, land and sea entry and exit points, and has made it mandatory for all visitors and passengers to fill in health declaration forms.

Those who fail to submit the form or provide false information are liable to prosecution, the committee said, without elaborating on the penalty or the law under which legal action will be taken.

Meanwhile, Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Chong Chieng Jen today said officers from the ministry are talking to the country’s three face mask manufacturers to discuss  increasing production to meet the surge in demand of the domestic market.

The demand spike is due to panic buying by members of the public, with many outlets throughout Malaysia facing stock shortages as a result, Chong said in a media conference in Kuching.

“As I speak, our officers from the ministry are meeting up with face mask manufacturers and suppliers to discuss increasing the supply of face masks in the market.

“We will do our best to get enough supply to meet the sudden huge surge in demand for face masks,” he said.

At the same time, Chong appealed to wholesalers and retailers not to take advantage of the health crisis to increase the prices of face masks and hand sanitisers for extra profit.

“While I am confident that most traders are ethical, I do not discount the fact that there may be some black sheep among them who will do anything for a quick profit,” he said.

Currently, five types of face masks have been listed as “price-controlled items” under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act.

They are the single-ply (ear loop) surgical/medical mask, which are retailed at RM7 per box in Sarawak, the two-ply type retailed at 20 sen a unit, the three-ply type at 80 sen a unit and the N95 mask, which has a retail price of RM6 a unit.

Chong said some 2,300 enforcement officers and 1,000 price checkers nationwide will also be monitoring stores selling these items for profiteering.

The deputy minister also urged everyone to work together to tide over the crisis and to report any shops that are selling the above items higher than their respective maximum prices to his ministry.

He said while other face masks are not listed in the price-controlled items list, they are still subject to the same Act, but under a different section of the law which prohibits profiteering activities.

“Any act to arbitrarily hike the prices for unreasonable profit will also be an offence under the same law,” he said.

If found guilty, offenders are liable to a maximum fine of RM100,000 and a maximum jail term of three years, while companies can be fined a maximum of RM500,000. – January 30, 2020.