KUALA LUMPUR: A total 1,128 students from nine public and private higher education institutions will be in the first batch of students to be sent home starting today.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said 863 of them will leave their campuses in the central zone in 49 buses to drop-off points in the northern states tonight.
The same buses will then be used to transport 265 students from higher education institutions in the northern zone to drop-off points in the central zone tomorrow.
Ismail, who is also the Defence Minister, said the first exercise involves a total 17 destinations.
"The buses used during this exercise will be sanitized each time before the vehicles depart to their respective destinations.
"Luggage belonging to the students will also be sanitized before they board the buses," he said in his daily press briefing here today.
Ismail Sabri said only one member in a family would be allowed to pick the students from the respective drop-off point which will be either a police station or a district office.
"As I mentioned previously, frontliners will help send students to their respective homes from the drop-off points if their families do not have any vehicle," he said.
He also thanked Marrybrown Sdn Bhd and Gardenia Bakeries (KL) Sdn Bhd for sponsoring pre-dawn meal for students who will return home during first batch of the exercise.
"We hope more private sectors will emulate Marrybrown and Gardenia by working closely with the Higher Education Ministry for this exercise," he said.
On a related matter, the exercise to send home Sarawakian and Sabahan students currently stranded at their respective campuses in the Peninsular Malaysia will commence on May 1.
Ismail Sabri explained that East Malaysian students at Kelantan and Terengganu will be flown home via Sultan Mahmud Airport in Kuala Terengganu.
Sarawakian and Sabahan students at campuses in the northern and southern zones will depart for their respective home states via the Penang International Airport and Senai International Airport respectively.
Meanwhile, East Malaysians students at campuses in the central zone including Pahang will fly home to Sabah and Sarawak via the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Senior Minister (Infrastructure Cluster) Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof had said some 7,000 Sarawakian students were stranded in Peninsular Malaysia since the Movement Control Order (MCO) came into force on March 18.
The Works Minister, who is also the Petra Jaya member of Parliament, had also said the students would be flown home in stages to Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri.
The students will also be subjected to a 14-day quarantine upon their arrival.