Guan Eng denies breaking Covid self-quarantine, says been home alone even before order given

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today refuted claims that he broke a Health Ministry order to self-quarantine after being told he was in close contact with a Covid-19 positive person.

The Penang lawmaker said the allegations that he went to his constituency to distribute food parcels on September 2, 4 and 8 were false.

“This is untrue,” he said in a statement.

Lim, who is both Bagan MP and Air Putih assemblyman, said he immediately isolated himself at home last Thursday after learning that he may have been in close contact with a Covid-19 positive person he met on September 1.

He admitted that this was after he attended the Penang state legislative assembly on September 2.

He added that he has remained in home isolation since then, even after testing negative for Covid-19.

“The Health Ministry officially issued a home self-quarantine order on September 6 for a duration between September 1 to September 10, and required me to wear the pink wristband.

“I did not go out to the public to distribute food parcels after September 2.

“The Facebook posts of food parcel distribution done by me were done on several occasions on or before August 31 in my parliamentary constituency in Bagan,” he said, clarifying that pictures of the event were not posted online the same day but later.

Lim said the food parcel recipients and three other Penang elected representatives — Phee Boon Poh, Soon Lip Chee and Sateesh Muniandy — were present with him on August 31 and could testify to the truth as witnesses.

Lim was forced to defend himself publicly after the Penang Gerakan Youth wing filed a police complaint, accusing him of breaking the home quarantine order.

Penang Gerakan Youth spokesman Mohd Aswaad Jaafar questioned why Lim was able to attend the September 2 state assembly sitting when he was supposed to be observing home quarantine.

Yesterday, the hearing for Lim’s corruption trial was also vacated after defence lawyers told the court he was under home quarantine.