EFFECTIVE tomorrow until October 10, it is compulsory for individuals travelling from Sabah to the peninsula to undergo Covid-19 screening upon arrival, including home quarantine until their test results are confirmed, the Health Ministry said.

This comes after 11 new Covid-19 cases were detected from people arriving in the peninsula from Sabah, Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.

He added there were also 10 of such cases reported yesterday.

Sabah, now a coronavirus hot spot with four red zones, also accounted for 64 of the 82 new infections today.

Taking into account the current situation, Dr Noor Hisham said compulsory screening and home quarantine are necessary precautionary measures that need to be taken to contain the risk of the coronavirus spreading further.

People returning from Sabah must download and register the MySejahtera app and undergo screening upon arrival.

They are to be quarantined under the Home Surveillance Order (HSO) until test results are received.

“All individuals will be given a HSO letter upon arrival at entry points (domestic or international). The HSO date will begin on the date of arrival at the entry point until the lab result (is received),” Dr Noor Hisham said in a statement today.

The HSO will end once the individual tests negative for the coronavirus.

Travellers taking public transportation such as taxi and Grab to return to their homes will be issued letters permitting them to travel to their respective residence, he added.

They will also have to undergo a second swab test if they suffer from breathing difficulty within 14 days after returning from Sabah.

Citizens and foreigners returning from the state will be exempted from screening charges.

Although these measures are currently in place for the period between September 27 and October 10, Dr Noor Hisham said the situation in the state will be monitored and directives revised.

He said Sabah continued to report new cases and clusters, with four districts now declared as red zones after reporting more than 40 cases in the span of 14 days.

The four Covid-19 red zones are Tawau, Lahad Datu, Kunak and Semporna. – September 26, 2020.