A man launches the MySejahtera app on his phone. – Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri
KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — Do you find it hard keeping up with new updates to the Health Ministry’s rules and guidelines on what to do if you test positive for Covid-19 or are a close contact or casual contact?
Or simply can’t remember?
Well, here is a summary of all the latest rules in just seven infographics by Malay Mail. Scroll straight to the infographics or read on for a bit more detail:
1. Have symptoms? Just do a Covid-19 self-test
Whatever your status is, whether you are a close contact or casual contact or not in any of these categories, you should do a Covid-19 self-test once you develop Covid-19-like symptoms.
If you tested positive using a self-test kit, there is no need for you to undergo the more expensive RT-PCR test to confirm that you have been infected with the Covid-19 virus.
Just report to MySejahtera that you have tested positive, and start your home quarantine for either seven days if you are fully vaccinated or 10 days if you did not complete your vaccination or have not been vaccinated against Covid-19.
Once you finish your quarantine period, your employers should accept the screenshot of the digital Release Order (RO) in your MySejahtera app as proof.
The Health Ministry had on February 25 said that employers should not demand their employees to go to Covid-19 Assessment Centres (CAC) to get a written notice of release from quarantine, as this would only add to the burden of the CAC’s health workers whose actual role covers assessing Covid-19 patients with symptoms that grew progressively worse while isolating at home.
In short: Quarantine for seven or 10 days, depending on vaccination status.
2. What is Category 2B and above? Or when to go to the hospital
If you have no symptoms or just mild symptoms (Category 2A), you can quarantine at home. You do not need to go to the CAC.
But you should not take it lightly, and should continue to monitor your health twice a day by filling up MySejahtera’s health assessment form before noon and before 6pm, as symptoms can worsen.
If your symptoms worsen into Category 2B or worse, go immediately to the nearest CAC or hospital or call 999.
The list of CAC throughout Malaysia can be found here: https://covid-19.moh.gov.my/hotline Just click on your state to find the nearest CAC and their phone numbers, with some even featuring their opening hours.
3. Close contact to a Covid-19 positive person
If you met a person on Monday and this person later tested positive for Covid-19, do you count the last time you met this person (on Monday) as Day 0 or Day 1 of exposure or quarantine?
The Health Ministry has clarified in replies to queries on social media that the last day you met a Covid-19 positive person is Day 1. The quarantine period includes this Day 1.
The duration of your quarantine depends on your vaccination status: five days if you had the booster or was just fully vaccinated; and seven days if you did not get vaccinated against Covid-19 or have not been fully vaccinated.
Whether you need to self-test to be released from quarantine would depend on whether you had symptoms or no symptoms on Day 1 of exposure to the Covid-19 positive person.
If you have symptoms and your self-test result is negative, your quarantine period stays the same.
But if you test positive while in quarantine, you should then refer to the guide on what to do as a Covid-19 positive person.
In short: Quarantine for five or seven days, depending on vaccination status. No quarantine is needed only for two situations:
Had the booster shot and showing no symptoms on Day 1 and tested negative on Day 1 and Day 3; or If you are fully vaccinated and already had a Covid-19 infection in the past 60 days.
Wait, what about if I’m not a close contact of a Covid-19 positive person, but had close contact with a close contact of a Covid-19 positive person? You would be Layer 3, while the person who had direct close contact with the Covid-19 positive person would be Layer 2.
If you live in the same house with the Layer 2 individual, take precautions such as avoid eating together. It would be best if you can work from home, but if not, you should limit your movements to just the workplace and also limit interactions with others. Also remember that your status can change to being a close contact of a Covid-19 person, if the Layer 2 individual tests positive for Covid-19.
4. Ok, MySejahtera told me I’m a casual contact
In updated rules from March 1 onwards, those identified as a casual contact will no longer see their MySejahtera status change to yellow. They also will no longer have to fill a health assessment form for 10 days before their MySejahtera status changes back to blue colour or low risk.
Instead, MySejahtera will just notify you that you have been identified as a casual contact, and will keep your MySejahtera status as low risk.
You just have to isolate and do a Covid-19 self-test if you find that you have symptoms. Of course, if you test positive, you should then follow the guide above on what to do as a Covid-19 positive person.
If not, you can just carry on with your life without any restrictions, but you have to follow the standard operating procedures to prevent Covid-19 infections as usual.
5. But how can I keep my family safe during my home quarantine?
Do check if your home is suitable for you to undergo quarantine, such as having a separate room for you and preferably with an attached bathroom that will only be used by you during the quarantine period.
Your caregiver or the person who will make sure you get your meals and handles your used items should not be someone who is pregnant, over 60 years old, or immunocompromised, or having morbidities, such as chronic kidney diseases, serious heart disease, chronic respiratory disease, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, or other diseases considered by health personnel to be high risk.
Here is a summary of the basic things to do during home quarantine, including the simple precautions of wearing a face mask and also washing your hands with soap and water after handling anything that the Covid-19 positive person used:
More detailed information on tips for home quarantine can be found on the Health Ministry’s Covid-19 website here and here.
6. Travelling from abroad and entering Malaysia
Generally, the quarantine period upon arrival in Malaysia is five, seven or 10 days, depending on your vaccination status.
But be sure to check what are the latest travel rules which may be updated from time to time and if there are any specific procedures for your situation, such as by using this Covid-19: Travel Information section or Travel Regulation for Malaysia section on Malaysia Airlines’ website, or the SOPs under Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan on the National Security Council’s website.
For example, on February 28, the health minister said that Malaysia would stop imposing certain additional requirements from March 3 onwards for travellers entering Malaysia through the air and land Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) programme, Langkawi International Tourism Bubble (LITB) and One Stop Centre (OSC) for short-term business visitors.
7. What if I’m just flying from another state in Malaysia to Sabah or Sarawak?
Again, refer to the SOPs under Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan on the NSC’s website, where specific SOPs for Sabah, Sarawak, Labuan, and even for international travel into Langkawi can be found.
For Sarawak, in particular, you may also refer to the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee’s Facebook page and website’s Requirements to enterSarawak section for the latest updates.
The latest Covid-19 SOPs specific to Sabah can also be found on its Covid-19 Disaster Management Committee’s website.