KUALA LUMPUR: Tourists, particularly Chinese nationals, should not be discriminated against amid the outbreak of the newly-found coronavirus in China which has claimed at least nine lives.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi said tourists coming into the country would have been screened at the entry points, including airports.
“I strongly encourage all Malaysians to take the necessary precautionary measures and care for their health, especially when at public places.
“We also hope that no tourists, especially tourists from China will be discriminated against, for instance, by staying away from them.
“This is because tourists from all nations will be screened at the country’s entry points,” Mohamaddin wrote on his Facebook page, sharing The Guardian’s article titled “Coronavirus: Chinese hospitals not testing patients, say relatives”.
Authorities in Wuhan have begun to control the number of people leaving and entering the city, according to state TV.
Guards are keeping a 24-hour watch on the now closed Huanan seafood and animal market, which is suspected as the source of the outbreak.
The Guardian also reported that tour groups are barred from leaving and random spot checks are being conducted on vehicles coming in and out of the city to see whether they carry live animals.
Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye yesterday said health authorities detected 61 passengers with high body temperature between Jan 15 and Jan 20 when they landed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) but it was just normal temperature.
He said for the same period, authorities screened 258,246 passengers and 8,808 crew members from 2,494 flights and none of the 61 passengers with high body temperature tested positive for the said virus. They just had normal fever.
The incubation period would be about one week for anyone exposed to the new strain of the coronavirus, known as 2019 NCOV.
Dr Lee advised those who came from countries with 2019 NCOV cases, especially China, to monitor their health for about two weeks and should they show any influenza-like symptoms to go to the health facilities for treatment.
The virus has left at least nine people dead and affected more than 440 to date. The majority of cases has been reported in Wuhan, but has also spread to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong province, near Hong Kong. It also has spread to Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States.