KOTA BARU: The Kelantan Health Department has tightened the process of early screening to detect suspected persons with symptoms of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
Its director Datuk Dr Zaini Hussin said the department has placed four thermal scanners at the four main gateways at the Malaysia-Thailand border, including the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport (LTSIP) in Pengkalan Chepa here.
“We have placed thermal scanners at three Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complexes at Bukit Bunga, Tanah Merah; Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas and Pengkalan Kubor, Tumpat.
“The officers at these gateways will screen individuals entering the country and if anyone is found with clinical symptoms, the medical officer on duty will determine if they should be treated or warded,” he told Bernama when contacted here today.
Dr Zaini said the screenings are focused on individuals who come from places with coronavirus cases, especially those coming through the LTSIP where there is a direct flight from Singapore to Kota Baru.
He added that the department has also distributed advice cards to the public urging them to seek immediate medical treatment if they had symptoms of the viral infection.
However, he said, to date, there has been no reports of the coronavirus infection in Kelantan.
In Padang Besar, Perlis Border Relations and Cooperation Committee chairman Ruzaini Rais said the state government will also tighten control at the Kuala Perlis Jetty to curb the spread of coronavirus in Perlis.
“I have asked the relevant quarters, especially the state’s department of health and immigration, as well as the police, to tighten control at the state’s entry points, especially now that many foreign tourists flocked to Langkawi in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration,” he told reporters here.
Ruzaini said this move was taken to prevent untoward incidents as the jetty is among the entry points linking the mainland (Perlis) and the island of Langkawi.
Ruzaini also urged the federal government to reconsider the decision not to stop Chinese tourists from coming into the country for now in light of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. - Bernama
