KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — The Health Ministry has dismissed claims that incidents of individuals, especially migrant workers, escaping Covid-19 quarantine centres recently had stemmed from issues with the ministry’s existing standard operating procedures (SOP).
Citing instances of Chinese nationals escaping quarantine during the first wave of Covid-19 in the country, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah denied such claims before stressing that those who fled had previously tested negative for the virus.
“What is definite is that they are not positive but quarantined because they were previously exposed to known positive Covid-19 cases.
“For now, we have lodged police reports and the authorities are in the midst of taking action against those who have escaped their quarantine centres,” he said during his daily Covid-19 press briefing here.
During his daily Covid-19 briefing, Dr Noor Hisham also disclosed that 147 individuals have absconded from their quarantine centres to date.
Most of them consisted of those working in the construction sector who have already tested negative but required to undergo a mandatory quarantine of 14 days.
Earlier today, The Star reported that seven foreigners were believed to have run away from a quarantine centre housed in an educational institution in the city centre.
The report stated that their disappearances were noticed at about 10am on Monday by doctors making their rounds.
It also said that those who ran away were Indonesians and Bangladeshis, who were living with those who suspected of being positive for Covid-19 at Selangor Mansion, Menara City One and Kampung Baru.
