The government has ordered that those returning to Malaysia have to be quarantined for 14 days before they can reunite with their family. This is an extremely important step to ensure that Covid-19 doesn’t spread any further. This is similarly practiced in other countries, and for good reason too.
A case in Thailand proves how crucial self-quarantine is and why we should strictly adhere to the rules set by the government.
According to The Nation, a Thai woman spread the Covid-19 virus to her mother after refusing to quarantine herself after returning from abroad.
Dr Opass Putcharoen, head of Chulalongkorn University’s Emerging Infectious Diseases Clinical Centre shared on Facebook that most people who come in from abroad show no initial symptoms or signs of infection, and hence decide not to quarantine themselves.
However as we all know, a person can still be infectious without showing any symptoms. The woman in this case showed no Covid-19 symptoms and therefore did no isolate herself. She went home and mingled with her mother and unknowingly infected her.
The woman only started showing symptoms much later, but by then it was too late – her mother had already been infected. The mother seemed to have a cold for six days even though x-ray results of her lungs appeared normal.
However, she had difficulty breathing a few days later and had to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).
Dr Opass then emphasised the importance of self-quarantine and urges everyone to comply to the rules set by the government. Although this case happened in Thailand, this could happen in Malaysia too. It’s up to us to flatten the curve, so please stay home and obey self-quarantine orders if you have returned from abroad.
