M’sians in Wuhan returning today
Hazardous Materials Unit to conduct decontamination and screening: Dzulkefly
PUTRAJAYA: It will be safety first for the 116 Malaysians, and 25 non-citizens comprising spouses and children registered with the Malaysian embassy, returning on an AirAsia flight from Wuhan, China today.
The entourage bound for home will go through stringent health and safety procedures to eliminate any risk of spreading the novel coronavirus infection in the country.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pix) said, among other things, they will not be allowed to enter the main terminal at KLIA upon arrival, and will be ferried by a bus to the Air Disaster Unit building for decontamination and exit screening procedures.
“The public need not worry as they won’t be entering the terminal. Our officers and the Hazardous Materials Unit under the Fire and
Rescue Department will conduct the necessary decontamination and screening,” he said at a press conference here yesterday.
Dzulkefly said those with symptoms of the virus will be taken to hospital while the others will be sent to a surveillance centre at an undisclosed location nearby where they will be quarantined and monitored for 14 days.
He said only those declared healthy and negative of the coronavirus, after the two week incubation period, will be allowed to return home.
“To ensure the safety of all, family and friends will also not be allowed to visit the returning entourage from Wuhan during the 14 days. They can only communicate via mobile phones.”
Dzulkefly said all those on the flight would have to undergo and pass exit screening processes and procedures conducted by China health authorities at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport.
A total of 12 AirAsia crew members, eight government officers and six Malaysian embassy officials are involved in the mission, and all are required to go through the same precautionary measures upon returning to Malaysia.
Dzulkefly said as of noon yesterday, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Malaysia remained at eight.
The minister also expressed optimism that a vaccine to counter the virus could be developed soon after Japan succeeds in cultivating and isolating the virus from a human carrier.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Agency said it was unable to confirm how long the screening procedures at the airport in Wuhan will take, or the departure/arrival time of the homecoming flight.
It added that the flight, which departed from klia2 at 3.50pm for Wuhan yesterday, was carrying 500,000 pairs of gloves to be contributed to the Chinese government, which is facing a shortage in fighting the coronavirus.