LETTER | A message especially for you, if you have recently returned to Malaysia

Welcome home! It must feel good to come home to be with your family and your loved ones! You have just arrived from the frontlines of the war against Covid-19, which has spread to over 100 countries worldwide. This disease is spreading at the community level whether declared or not by the country you have just left.

As your doctors in the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia, we need your help to protect the rakyat of Malaysia. We are doing our best to contain this pandemic in Malaysia. We know that all returnees, whether they have symptoms or not, can possibly be a silent carrier of the virus. Each returnee can potentially be the source of the next cluster of infection in the community you are returning to.

Even if you have subjected yourself to a test, you may not necessarily test positive even if you are carrying the virus. You can test negative now, and may still show up as positive the next time you test (these are called “false negatives”). We, therefore, urge all returnees, to strictly self-quarantine in your home, isolating yourself even from your loved ones for the next 14 days.

Please do the following:

• Stay at home (never leave it at all costs) and keep your distance from all your loved ones.
  
  
• If you develop a fever, dry cough and all other signs of Covid-19, please alert the authorities (numbers and details below) so that you will stop the cluster from growing.

Returnees from abroad have been responsible for further waves of Covid-19 cases emerging in countries where the pandemic is reasonably well controlled e.g. Singapore, S Korea and even China. In these countries all returnees are now housed in hotel rooms for the full 14 days even if they are tested negative.

The Malaysian government will be carrying out this plan from April 3, 2020. We urge all of you to assist us if you have returned before this deadline to protect the rakyat of Malaysia and more especially your loved ones by observing this request from the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia.

Virtual Health Advisory (8am to 5pm)

Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC):

Telephone - (03) – 88810200 / 88810600

WhatsApp - +6010 – 9699435 / +6010 - 8608949

THE ACADEMY OF MEDICINE OF MALAYSIA embracing 11 colleges and 15 chapters, is a registered body representing all medical specialists in Malaysia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.