Mandatory health screening for students returning from China

Students returning from China will have to undergo mandatory health screening before resuming their studies unless they have been in the country for more than 14 days, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said.

She said the Education Malaysia Division (BEM) would continue to carry out health screening for students according to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) approved by the Health and Education Ministries.

She said all 20 public higher education institutions had developed SOPs to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, while 17 private higher education institutions, including Xiamen University Malaysia, were reported to have measures in place.

“To date, all students returning from China have undergone health screening and tested negative for Covid-19,” she said after chairing the National Disaster Management Agency’s (Nadma) high-level committee special meeting on the Covid-19 outbreak yesterday.

She said Education Malaysia Beijing, in collaboration with Malaysian student associations in China, developed the Covid-19 Overseas Students Management Dashboard to help monitor the presence of Malaysian students in China.

She said the Education Ministry here established a Covid-19 Cluster Management Committee operating from the BEM at the Higher Education Department.

“BEM, in collaboration with the Public Health Council of Malaysia and the Health Ministry, have developed the Preparatory Plan To Prevent Transmission of the Covid-19 for Malaysian Institutes of Higher Learning.”

A total of 11,000 Chinese students are studying in Malaysia.

Recently, parents of students at the British International School Kuala Lumpur expressed concern over an expected intake of students from China amid fears of the outbreak.

It was learnt that the school would temporarily welcome a number of Nord Anglia Education students, who were unable to return to their schools in China, currently closed due to the outbreak.

The Health Ministry, however, assured parents there was no need for panic or fear as the school had taken precautionary measures.

On a related matter, Dr Wan Azizah said the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry would coordinate the supply of face masks from manufacturers and limit its exports.

She said Nadma would assist in the delivery of the face masks to agency personnel working at the frontlines.