KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 — A gazetted order letting ministers forego the mandatory 10-day Covid-19 quarantine upon returning from official trips abroad could lead to them importing new variants of the coronavirus into Malaysia, ex-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.

On Facebook, the Pekan MP noted that the average incubation period before Covid-19 infections were detectable was around five to six days, beyond the three days of surveillance that ministers only need to perform under the exemption.

The order from Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba was gazetted yesterday.

“There is a risk if those who are infected are wrongly released early, leading to them infecting more people under the mistaken assumption that they are free of Covid-19.

“It is even more dangerous if those wrongly released carry the infection from abroad, as there are possibilities for it to be new Covid-19 mutations that are more aggressive, such as the UK variant and the South Africa variant,” he added.

Najib also recalled that there have been cases of lawmakers who were released from self-quarantine only to later test positive for Covid-19.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/02/09/najib-excusing-ministers-from-full-quarantine-could-open-malaysias-doors-to/1948225