State Health and Environment Committee Chairman Ayub Rahmat has stated that people who are travelling from Singapore to Johor Bahru will need to go through checks by thermal scanners, and those with a body temperature above 37 degrees Celsius may not be allowed from entering the country.
The six entry points with the thermal scanners are; the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ Complex in Tanjung Kupang, Johor Port in Pasir Gudang, Tanjung Pelepas in Gelang Patah, Puteri Harbour Ferry Terminal in Iskandar Puteri and the Stulang Laut Ferry Terminal.
“Control at the six points of entry will be tightened through screening of visitors and Malaysian citizens coming from Singapore,” Ayub said.
He said that the screening would be run 24 hours a day with three shifts of personnel, including doctors and staff of the Johor Health Department and Johor Bahru Health Office. The Immigration Department will assist the screening.
Ayub said, “This is a regular practise at the CIQ, which saw a total of 71 million people going in and out of the Johor-Singapore Causeway last year. This year, the number is expected to be more than 100 million.”
Vehicles, including cars, buses and lorries using the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar CIQ Complex and Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ Complex are also encouraged to have aerosol sprays in their vehicles to prevent mosquitoes from being brought in, apart from the screening.
Ayub told reporters, “During my work visit just now, I asked a driver whether he has seen any worms or mosquitoes in his vehicle and he replied in the affirmative. So one way is to wind down the window and “shoo” it out or protect yourself with an insect repellent. Even a vehicle which is left at home can have a mosquito trapped inside.”
“Actually, there is more cause for concern over Dengue, which has resulted in deaths while the Zika has yet to cause any death. So, I urge the public not to panic over the detection of the Zika virus,” he added.
Ayub stated that there are about 50,000 vehicles enter and exit through the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar CIQ Complex daily.
Ayub said that they do not want to cause panic. However, he said, “We don’t want the people to take it easy on the spread of Zika.”
