Eight Chinese tourists show 'no coronavirus symptoms'

The results of screenings on eight Chinese tourists by the Johor Health Department (JKNJ) in Johor Baru today showed no signs or symptoms of coronavirus infection.

Confirming this, State Education, Health and Human Resources Committee chairman Aminolhuda Hassan (photo) said today the four adults and four children from Wuhan were now at a hotel in the state and were being monitored by JKNJ for 14 days.

However, he said they were not barred from returning to China during the period since the clinical samples for the 2019-nCoV virus detection test showed they were all free of the virus.

He said the eight individuals had contacts with a Chinese man in Singapore who was positively diagnosed with the virus, had been in the state since yesterday.

‘’JKNJ had acted quickly by tracking down all the contacts and had conducted screenings to examine their health status," he told reporters in Kulai, Johor.

‘’Results of the screenings showed they were healthy and had no signs or symptoms of the infection until today. Clinical samples had also been taken for the (2019-nCoV) detection tests which showed they are free of the virus.” 

According to him, the movements of the eight individuals were also limited and would be monitored by JKNJ.

"They can sit around the hotel and be under our control as a precaution," he said.

Yesterday, a 66-year-old Chinese man in Singapore was the first case of an individual who tested positive for the imported novel coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Aminolhuda said JKNJ would closely monitor tourists at all entry points in the state by conducting body temperature checks to determine if they had fever or cough.

"They will not be detained if they are healthy and have a normal temperature, but all citizens of China, Singapore or any other tourist, will be given a brochure saying that they should go immediately to the nearest hospital if they have any symptom within 14 days," he said. — Bernama