JOHOR BARU, Feb 4 — From January 27, 2020 up until February 3, 2020 a total of 147 Chinese citizens from Wuhan city and the Hubei province had been denied entry into Malaysia, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today.
The home minister said that the measures were in line with the Health Ministry in addressing the 2019-nCoV outbreak following the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the coronavirus as a global emergency.
“However, Malaysia is not barring all Chinese arrivals that come here but only those that are from Wuhan city or Hubei province,” said Muhyiddin during a press conference after his visit to the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex here.
He had also shared the data on his Facebook page.
The highest number was in Port Klang, where Immigration officers had barred entry for 55 Chinese individuals — 33 yesterday and 32 on January 29.
Another entry-point which saw a lot of rejection was the Sultan Abu Bakar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex in Johor Baru that borders Singapore where it had rejected entry for 30 Chinese individuals on January 28.
This is followed by low-cost carrier terminal Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) which had denied entry for 14 individuals on the same day.
Next is Penang International Airport which had barred a total of nine individuals from entry (three on January 29 and six on January 30) and then Sandakan International Airport which had rejected 6 individuals from entry on January 28.
Other border entry points which had turned away Chinese citizens from Wuhan and Hubei include Langkawi International Airport (three), Kota Kinabalu International Airport (five), Tawau Airport (five), Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration Complex (one), Kuala Lumpur International Airport (one), Kota Kinabalu Port (three), Tanjung Pelepas Port (four) and Sipitang (one).
Muhyiddin, who is also the Pagoh MP, said that the government would continue to bar entry of Chinese nationals from the suspected affected coronavirus epicentre until further advice from the Health Ministry.
He also suggested there should be more temperature screening devices at the CIQ Complex here as it is the busiest entry point into Malaysia, contrivuting to about 70 per cent of arrivals into the country.
On January 27, Malaysia suspended all visa facilities for Chinese tourists from Wuhan and Hubei as part of its measures to combat the 2019-nCoV coronavirus outbreak.
The Prime Minister’s Office said this included electronic travel registration and information facilities, visa-free entry, visa on arrival, e-visa and manual visa applications.
