Over 300 Alleged Omicron Carriers Enter Malaysia in One Week

jpnn.com, MALAYSIA - The Malaysian Health Ministry has found that 306 of the 366 travelers who tested positive for Covid-19 on December 21-25 may have been infected with Omicron.

"The Institute of Medical Research (IMR) has carried out a PCR Genotyping Assay on 366 samples of positive cases of Covid-19 among travelers from December 21-25, 2021," said Malaysian Health Minister Khairy Jamalludin in Putrajaya, Tuesday (28/12).

Of these, 306 samples have shown possible Omicron variants and are currently awaiting the results of the full genome sequencing assay.

The Health Ministry  also said that the government would lift temporary travel restrictions in eight countries, namely South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.

"The eight countries will be included in the list of high-risk countries, bringing the number of high-risk countries to 18," said Khairy.

Previously, 10 countries with a high risk of Omicron were UK, US, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Norway, France, Denmark, India, Canada, and Nigeria.

Khairy said that during the period of December 1-28, MySejahtera's data showed 1.4 percent of positive cases of Covid-19 given the supervision and observation order (HSO) had violated the quarantine rules, and the Health Ministry was considering taking action against these individuals. (ant/dil/mcr20/jpnn)

This news has been broadcast on JPNN.com with the title: 306 Pelancong Positif Omicron Masuk Malaysia dalam Sepekan