KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — Health Minister Dr Adham Baba clarified today that travellers under the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) between Malaysia and Singapore are allowed to quarantine at home in Johor.
The PCA, which was started on August 17 for land travel between Johor and Singapore, allows citizens and permanent residents of Malaysia and Singapore to travel back to their country of residence for a short-term home leave of between two and four weeks after working in their country of employment for at least three months.
Dr Adham said Malaysian citizens or permanent residents working in Singapore, who wish to return to Malaysia for a short-term home leave under the PCA, will be exempted from 14-day quarantine at quarantine stations if they test negative for Covid-19 with an RT-PCR test taken within 24 hours upon arrival in Malaysia.
While awaiting their test result, Malaysian citizens or permanent residents residing in Johor must self-quarantine at home, while those living outside Johor will be quarantined at quarantine stations designated by the government. Individuals quarantined at government-designated quarantine stations will bear the full cost of quarantine. RT-PCR tests usually return results within a couple of days.
As for Singaporean citizens or permanent residents who return to work in Malaysia after taking a short-term home leave in Singapore, those working in Johor will be quarantined for seven days in accommodation provided by their employers, while those working outside Johor will be quarantined for the same period in government-designated quarantine stations. Individuals quarantined at government-designated quarantine stations will bear the full cost of quarantine.
A supervision and observation order under Section 15(1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) will be imposed on these Singaporean citizens or permanent residents, who will be given a surveillance wristband throughout the quarantine period.
These individuals will be released upon completion of their seven-day quarantine after testing negative for Covid-19 with the RT-PCR test on the fifth day of quarantine.
“The quarantine period for individuals under this category is based on an agreement between Malaysia and Singapore, specifically under the PCA scheme, and is more relaxed but not an exception — that is, relaxed in terms of the shortened quarantine period,” Dr Adham said in a statement today.
Travellers coming into Malaysia outside Singapore are quarantined at designated stations for 14 days — the length of the coronavirus incubation period — after testing negative for Covid-19 upon arrival in Malaysia. Malaysia has barred the entry of citizens from countries that record over 150,000 Covid-19 cases, including the United States, the United Kingdom, India, as well as neighbouring countries Indonesia and the Philippines.
The Star reported Dr Adham as saying at a press conference in Kota Tinggi, Johor, yesterday that the government would no longer allow home quarantine for travellers coming into Malaysia under the PCA scheme.
He reportedly said this decision was made after a Malaysian who travelled back to Malaysia under the PCA scheme tested positive for Covid-19.
“All individuals who travel under the PCA scheme are required to meet the conditions set and adhere to public health preventive measures concerning Covid-19 which has been agreed upon by both countries, including the need to undergo the relevant tests,” Dr Adham said in his statement today.
He also said Malaysia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) will continue to monitor the implementation of the PCA scheme and evaluate the performance of the implementation, as well as monitor the risk of Covid-19 infection in Malaysia.
