KUALA LUMPUR: Three Malaysian undergraduates quarantined in Makkah since Sunday are in good health, said the Malaysian Students’ Association of Makkah, Jeddah and Taif (PPMJT).
The president of PPMJT, Muhammad Mujahid Zaharuddin, said the undergraduates who are from Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah are being quarantined at a hotel near the Masjid Al-Haram as a precautionary measure.
“The three of them live at the university’s hostel. Two other students were found to be positive for Covid-19 at the hostel, so the university has taken the initiative to quarantine all the students who stayed the hostel,” he said when contacted by Bernama, today.
Muhammad Mujahid said there are a total of 37 Malaysian students studying various disciplines – such as Syariah, Usuluddin, Arabic and Engineering – at higher education institutes in Makkah, Jeddah and Taif under the sponsorship of the Saudi Arabian government.
He said the Consulate General of Malaysia in Jeddah always contact them to get updates on the students in the three cities and to get feedback on the students’ wish to return to Malaysia.
Muhammad Mujahid said most of the students want to stay in Saudi Arabia due to several factors – such as the high cost of returning to Malaysia, and to wait for the result of applications for postgraduate studies.
He said most of the students spend time at their own dwellings due to the ongoing curfew in Saudi Arabia taking place from 3 pm till 8 am.
“So far, we have had no problems except for the limitation on free movements. Transportation services such as taxis, buses, trains and domestic flights are not in operation,” he said.
For now, academic courses in Saudi Arabia are being held online.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, Saudi Arabia recorded more than 1,500 COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths. -- Bernama