KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — Those who have returned from Sabah to other states before September 27 will not have to undergo mandatory Covid-19 tests but are encouraged to do so, while those returning after October 11 must undergo mandatory Covid-19 tests.

Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah explained that Covid-19 tests are mandatory for those who return from Sabah from September 27 onwards.

But those who returned from Sabah during the September 20 to September 26 period, mandatory Covid-19 tests are only required for those with symptoms.

"And those who returned before September 27 and if there are symptoms, it is compulsory for them to come to health clinics to take blood samples and also carry out health checks.

"But those without symptoms that returned from September 20 to September 26, they are also very much encouraged to come to clinics to do screenings.

"But if we see now, 14 days have already passed for those who returned on September 20, for example, so in the 14-day period, if they have symptoms, they have already been identified and given treatment at the Health Ministry’s hospitals,” he said in a press conference today.

As for those who returned from Sabah after September 27, those who test positive were admitted to hospitals, while those who tested negative but had exposure to Covid-19 patients or who tested negative but displayed symptoms will both have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine, he said.

Those who had returned from Sabah after September 27 but have no symptoms after testing negative, the Health Ministry encouraged them to carry out self-quarantine, he said.

He explained the difference in treatment as being due to Covid-19 red zones yet to be declared in Sabah on September 20.

As for the current practice for Sabah returnees, Dr Noor Hisham said that from October 11 onwards, all those who returned from the state would undergo Covid-19 tests with a home surveillance order issued and with the mandatory requirement to wear a quarantine band for 14 days.

"This is because we see the whole Sabah has been imposed with the conditional movement control order. So this is a high-risk area and the risk is high, and it is mandatory for quarantine for 14 days,” he added.

Dr Noor Hisham was responding to a question on whether the Health Ministry will make it mandatory for Sabah returnees before September 27 to undergo Covid-19 test instead of merely encouraging to do so, in light of statistics that showed that more than half of Sabah returnees who tested positive were those who had reached before September 27.