KUCHING, Feb 3 — Sixteen travellers, including 13 from China, were refused entry to Sarawak over the last two days, the state Immigration Department has announced.

This follows the state government’s introduction of preventive steps to curb the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) within its borders.

According to information released by the department late last night, 14 of the travellers were denied entry at the Kuching International Airport (KIA) yesterday.

The department said nine were Chinese nationals, consisting of six men and three women, who had arrived at KIA via peninsula Malaysia on social visit passes.

It said based on the self-declaration health forms which they had filled, they were found to have been in China within the stipulated period of 14 days.

A Hong Kong couple and an Indonesian woman were also denied entry as they also had visited China in the last 14 days.

Another Chinese national was similarly barred at the Immigration checkpoint at Miri Airport yesterday.

The department said the man had arrived from peninsula Malaysia on a social visit pass.

It added that another Chinese national was denied entry at the Mulu Airport yesterday.

He had flown from Guangzhou to Kota Kinabalu before taking a connecting flight to Mulu Airport.

The Immigration Department said 519 travellers of various nationalities had arrived in Sarawak since February 1.

The state government, with effect from February 1, had imposed entry restrictions on foreigners, including Chinese nationals if they had a history of being in China in the last 14 days.

The state Disaster Management Committee secretariat, however, had said the refusal does not cover those who have employment passes, student passes and long social passes.

"But they must undergo compulsory self-quarantine at home for 14 days,” the secretariat had said in a statement.

The secretariat also said Sarawakians returning from China in the last 14 days must undergo compulsory self-quarantine at home for 14 days.