New SOP For Ship Crewmembers: Quarantine And Tests Before Boarding And After Disembarking

The government decided to update SOPs after seeing a spike in cases among crewmembers.

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Ship crewmembers will now have to undergo a 14-day quarantine before they are allowed to begin work or leave Malaysia.

What you need to know: According to Senior Minister (Defence) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, ship crewmembers signing on for duty will have to undergo Covid-19 screening at the country’s international entry points.

Those testing positive will be sent to the hospital, while those testing negative will be quarantined at government centres and screened again on the 13th day of quarantine. Only once they test negative for the second time will they be allowed to sign in at our ports and board their ships.

Meanwhile, those “signing off” will be tested for Covid-19 when they arrive at our ports. Only crewmembers testing negative for the second time will be allowed to return to their respective countries.

The cost of the tests and quarantines are to be borne fully by their respective employers.

How it got here: The government made the decision to tighten standard operating procedures (SOP) involving ship crewmembers after reports from health authorities highlighted a spike in Covid-19 cases among the group.

There had reportedly been cases where some crewmembers failed to comply with the SOP and made a trip to the town before going to the airport after signing off, which then resulted in new Covid-19 infections.

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