Malaysia tightens rules on foreign ships for fear of COVID-19
The Malaysian Government has decided not to allow any foreign vessel that refuses to share essential information required by local authorities to dock in the country.
Health workers of Malaysia receive the country's citizens repatriated from China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the COVID-19 epidemic, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 4 (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The Malaysian Governmenthas decided not to allow any foreign vessel that refuses to share essentialinformation required by local authorities to dock in the country.
The decision was made in light of the outbreakof the acute respiratory disease caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus(COVID-19) worldwide, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah WanIsmail told reporters on February 14 after chairing a meeting of theDisaster Management High Level Committee.
She noted that the country’s ImmigrationDepartment had received requests from two cruise ships, namely the MS Westerdamand Sapphire Princess, to dock in Malaysia.
The Westerdam with the capacity of about 1,000passengers left Hong Kong (China) on February 1 and had initially intended todock in Malaysia. It then received permission from Cambodia to berth onFebruary 13. Meanwhile, Sapphire Princess has safely docked in Singapore.
Fears over cruise ships carrying the novelcoronavirus emerged after the Diamond Princess, now under quarantine in theport of Yokohama of Japan, had more than 200 passengers tested positive for thevirus that causes COVID-19.
Malaysia on February 15 confirmed two newCOVID-19 cases, raising the number of infected people in the country to 21/.
The outbreak of the new coronovirus (COVID-19) has yet to reach a crisis level and been well under control in Malaysia so there is no need to raise alarm, said a Malaysian official.
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Health workers of Malaysia receive the country's citizens repatriated from China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the COVID-19 epidemic, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 4 (Photo: AFP/VNA) 
