Covid-19: Former deputy minister suggests use of bracelet with GPS for those under quarantine

TheEdge Tue, Aug 18, 2020 06:40pm - 3 years View Original


KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 18): Opposition members in Parliament today suggested the Health Ministry to use bracelets installed with the GPS system for individuals who are required to undergo mandatory home quarantine, especially those who return from abroad.

Referring to the Covid-19 positive cases from the Sivagangga cluster in Kedah as an example, Dr Lee Boon Chye (PH-Gopeng) said there were weaknesses in the enforcement of the quarantine order under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988.

“There were cases of individuals returning from India [who] have wandered everywhere causing the spread of the virus,” he said when debating the Temporary Measures for Government Financing (Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19)) Bill 2020 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

The former Deputy Health Minister also suggested the Health Ministry to send a special research team to study the cluster to be able to understand the mechanism of the Covid-19 infection better and to draw up ways of preventing the spread of the virus in future.

“The Sivagangga Cluster provides a 'golden opportunity' to understand how Covid-19 infection occurs. This is because we can clearly identify zero case, when the zero case occurred we are actually in a state of local infection at zero level, especially in Kedah, at that time," he added.

Dr Lee (pictured) also suggested that the allocation for public health programmes and the number of Health Ministry staff to be increased by at least 20% in the next government planning following the Covid-19 pandemic, which has burdened all quarters, especially the Health Ministry.

The debate on the bill turned 'hot' when Teresa Kok (PH-Seputeh), who interrupted Dr Lee, claimed that there was a minister who went abroad, but did not undergo the 14-day quarantine after returning home.

According to Kok, the minister went on an unofficial visit to Turkey from July 3 to 7, and attended the Parliament sitting last July 13.

This created a furore among several other opposition MP members including RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong), Ahmad Fahmi Mohamed Fadzil (PH-Lembah Pantai) and Datuk Dr A Xavier Jayakumar (PH-Kuala Langat).

“There should be a ruling on this immediately... a minister not complying with the government's own SOP (standard operating procedure)," Rayer said.

However, Rayer's request was rejected by the Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon, but he told Rayer to write a letter related to the issue to him for further action.

Ahmad Fahmi, when debating the same bill, also asked the Health Minister to provide an explanation for the claim made by Seputeh MP.

“Is it true the minister went to Turkey. Is there any truth in what was said by Seputeh MP, and if it is true, how come the minister is not wearing [a] pick bracelet,” he added.

For more Parliament stories, click here.

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