Foreigners to pay mandatory quarantine charges in full - Ismail Sabri

Foreigners entering the country from all international entry points will have to pay full fees of the quarantine charges effective today.

Senior Minister (Security Cluster), Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said they would be charged fully without subsidies from the government or RM4,700 - RM2,600 fixed operating cost and RM2,100 for the accommodation cost.

"For the second and third individuals who share a room with the first individual, they will be charged half of the accommodation cost namely RM700 and it will be free of charge for children under the age of six.

"The government has decided to retain the quarantine cost for Malaysians. They will only need to pay RM2,100 for the accommodation as decided and implemented before. The operating cost of RM 2,600 will be borne by the government," he said in a statement here today.

Ismail Sabri said the government had previously decided that the mandatory quarantine charges for all individuals entering the country are at their own expenses and the directive was only enforced on foreign seafarers.

Meanwhile, he said a total of 33,534 individuals had returned home through the country's entry points since July 24.

They were housed at 67 hotels and eight other premises including Public Training Institutes (ILA) and private higher education institutions in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Johor, Sarawak, Kelantan, Perak, Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu, Sabah and Labuan.

"Of that total, 8,005 individuals are undergoing mandatory quarantine while 103 individuals have been sent to hospitals for treatment and 25,426 were allowed to return home," he added.

Ismail Sabri said a total of 137 individuals were detained for violating the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) yesterday, of which 111 were compounded, 25 were remanded and one was granted bail.

He said among the offences were engaging in activities in pubs or night clubs involving 39 individuals, not practicing physical distancing (32), leaving home without reasonable excuse in the areas placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) (25) and suspicion on being involved in prostitution (14).

"Failure to provide the necessary equipment for recording entries and exits of customers (10), leaving EMCO areas without a valid reason (seven), not wearing face mask (six) and premises operating without permission (four)," he said.

On Op Benteng, Ismail Sabri said 67 illegal immigrants, five skippers and three smugglers were nabbed while 13 land vehicles and a boat were seized yesterday.

"Of the number, eight were detained at Ladang Sg Tengah in Johor for not possessing valid travel documents.

"Two illegal immigrants were detained by the police at Pengkalan Haram Kebun, Pengkalan Kubor, Kelantan for entering Malaysia through an ungazetted route and not possessing valid travel documents," he said.

-- BERNAMA