PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians with their non-citizen spouses and children scheduled for evacuation from Wuhan will be placed under quarantine for 14 days upon arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
The quarantine process is the last of the four phases involved in the evacuation mission of Malaysians in Wuhan, which is the epicentre of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak that has spread across China and abroad.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the same applies to others involved in the mission, including the 12 AirAsia flight crew and 14 accompanying officers from the Health Ministry, Wisma Putra and the National Disaster and Management Agency (Nadma).
They would be quarantined at an undisclosed location and barred from receiving visitors. Dr Dzulkefly said they might be allowed to stay in touch with relatives “through telecommunication.”
“The passengers, officers involved in the mission and crew members will not enter the building of the terminal.
“Instead, they will be transported using a special bus to the Air Disaster Unit (ADU) Centre where they will undergo a decontamination process that will require them to change to whatever attire provided by Nadma.
“They will also undergo a health entry screening. I was informed that the Fire and Rescue Department’s Hazardous Materials Unit (HAZMAT) together with officers from the Health Ministry will facilitate the decontamination process and entry health screening,” he told reporters here today.
Present were Health Ministry deputy director-general (medicine) Datuk Dr Rohaizat Yon and the Health Ministry’s Disease Control Division director Dr Norhayati Rusli.
Dr Dzulkefly said those who displayed symptoms of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) upon checks at the ADU would be brought to either Sungai Buloh Hospital or Kuala Lumpur Hospital for treatment.
“Those who did not display any symptoms associated with the 2019-nCoV will be quarantine at a surveillance centre, which is not very far but it is within the vicinity.
“They will only be allowed to return home after it is proven that they are healthy and negative of the 2019-nCoV after a period of 14 days since this is the time frame for the incubation period,” he said.
Earlier, he explained that the first phase of the mission involved the preparation by the team from Malaysia prior to their departure to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport.
The preparation, he said, included briefings to the team to ensure they adhere to all measures to prevent infection of the virus at all times during the mission.
“The second phase involves in-flight operations ... what happens on board the aircraft. The people who will be brought home will be only among those who have undergone the exit (health) screening conducted by the health authorities in China.
“Only those who are healthy will be allowed to board the aircraft. Those who are unable to board the flight (after displaying symptoms of the 2019-nCoV during the exit health screening) will continue to be treated at health facilities in Wuhan,” he said.
At press time, Dr Dzulkefly said the ministry was yet to receive the latest updates involving the health status of Malaysians and their spouses as well as children in Wuhan supposed to be evacuated during the mission.
“The flight journey from Wuhan to the country will take about four to five hours. During the flight, the health officers involved in the mission will continue to check and monitor the health situation of those on board.
“If they develop symptoms related to the virus, the passengers will be isolated at the end (last seats) of the aircraft,” he said, adding that the aircraft used in the mission can accommodate up to 180 people.
During the third phase of the mission, the disinfection process will commence before landing and before the passengers disembark from the aircraft.
“They will be sprayed (with disinfectant) to disinfect the flight and all goods belonging to the passengers,” he said.