PUTRAJAYA must revoke the three-day quarantine order for ministers until there is scientific evidence that suggests the short period is enough time to detect Covid-19 symptoms, said the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia (AMM).

The body, which represents 11 colleges and 15 chapters of medical specialists in Malaysia, said the incubation period for Covid-19 is on average five to six days but can be as long as 14 days.

“Therefore, three days is insufficient to detect symptoms. There must be an evidence-based, public health explanation for the government’s decision to reduce quarantine days.”

They also said that the effectiveness of so-called “travel bubbles” is also still in question as new variants of Covid-19 with increased transmission capability spread rapidly around the world.

“There is insufficient data on the mutations to develop robust protocols for safe travel.

“We understand there is urgency to restart the economy for the benefit of Malaysians and businesses that are struggling, but this can only be done by bringing the pandemic under control first,” AMM said in a statement today.

Given those reasons, AMM said it is now crucial that the authorities continue to enforce a 10-day quarantine period for all travellers.  

“We wish to remind the government that all standard operating procedures (SOP) must be grounded in science.

“The quarantine period for inbound travellers is set at 10 days based on research which shows that the risk of transmission is extremely low (~1%) after 10 days with monitoring and testing in place,” AMM said.

They were responding to Health Minister Dr Adham Baba’s announcement on Monday that cabinet members will only need to be quarantined for three days instead of the mandatory 10 upon their return from overseas.

The ministers returning from overseas official duties will be exempted from Section 15 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act (Act 342).

The health minister further added yesterday the three-day quarantine period for those returning from overseas may be extended to business travellers and the public with the aim of cutting short the quarantine period to revive the economy.  

AMM said they wholeheartedly opposed the exemption order as well as any plans to extend the three-day quarantine rule to other travellers.

The medical specialists added Putrajaya must not open up our borders to “bubble” delegations and risk bringing in new variants that could overwhelm our health system which is already at breaking point. – February 11, 2021.