The government will hold discussions with China on bringing back the 78 Malaysians quarantined in Wuhan.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah will lead the discussions.
He informed that this was decided by the Cabinet after its meeting earlier today.
“We will discuss with China to allow Malaysians who are not ill to return but they will be checked upon return for the coronavirus.
“Those who have been in Wuhan for a long time will be quarantined for 14 days before being allowed home,” he said at a press conference today.
“If they show symptoms, they would be quarantined for another 14 days.
“Only if they are cleared would they be allowed home,” he told reporters.
Mahathir said that the 26 hospitals designated by the Health Ministry was sufficient to quarantine the patients.
The prime minister said the airlift of the Malaysians will begin once the Chinese government gives its permission.
Mahathir said the aircraft will be used to send items such as gloves, mask and food to Wuhan as they are running low.
He added that the food supply in Wuhan is much diminished, and in some instances, some only have food supply for four days.
The Prime Minister’s Department had announced that Chinese nationals from Hubei province, including its capital Wuhan, are temporarily barred from entering Malaysia with immediate effect, regardless of visa status.
So far none of the Malaysians in Wuhan has been reported to be infected by the disease.
Hundreds of US and Japanese citizens have already been evacuated from Wuhan and Hubei province, and the extraction of Australian citizens is also being planned.