KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry (MoH) will study whether it is wise for students of private and public higher education institutions to be allowed to return home during the current Movement Control Order (MCO) period.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said there are about 80,000 students nationwide living on campus and this does not include those who are renting outside.
“The number is big and this will involve a big movement of students which means there is a risk of either them getting infected or the people who live at their hometowns (will be infected).
“Since the MoH is seeing a reduction of Covid-19 positive cases, the ministry does not want to damage its efforts (in curbing the virus) all this while.
“We have been staying at home for a month and if we are not careful with such a scenario, we might have to stay at home longer than anticipated,” he said in a press conference aired live on several local television channels today.
On students who are currently studying abroad, Ismail said the directive remains the same, which was for them to stay in those countries for now.
Meanwhile, on Malaysians stranded abroad, he said that the Foreign Ministry is doing all it can to bring them home.
As of now, he said 355 Malaysians in Algeria and Tunisia are returning and their transportation costs are fully funded by their respective employers.
Ismail said 285 Malaysians in Egypt had returned as well as 80 Malaysians in Saudi Arabia, which was fully paid by the Saudi government.
He said there are 352 Malaysians stranded in Turkey, while 51 Malaysians stuck in India and Sri Lanka are coming back soon.
“To all family members of Malaysians who are stranded abroad and have been calling for the government to bring them home, it is being done right now,” he said.