by BERNAMA/ pic by BERNAMA

ALL five COVID-19 quarantine centres in Kedah which were opened since March 21 have ceased operations after 114 individuals housed at  them completed their mandatory 14- day quarantine.

Malaysian Civil Defence Force Kedah director Lieutenant Colonel (PA) Awang Iskandar Ampuan Yaacub said 18 people from the last group who were placed at the Seri Malaysia Hotel here and Aminuddin Baki Institute in Jitra, were allowed to return home today.

Besides these two , the others were the Northern Region Training and Development Centre, Star City Hotel here, and the Anti-Drugs Agency training centre in Sungai Petani.

“All of those quarantined came from outside Kedah and were required to undergo the mandatory quarantine. Overall, the the quarantine duration in Kedah was  47 days,” he told reporters after sending off the last group here today.

However, he said all relevant agencies would be later meeting today to finalise the next steps and preparation should there be a second wave of COVID-19 in the state.

Among those quarantined at Hotel Seri Malaysia were Nur Izyani Johari, 34, from Jalan Langgar here, her husband Adnan Abd Wahab, 45, and their seven children, aged one to 13, who had previously returned from Thailand.

“We went to visit my husband’s hometown in Thailand before the MCO (Movement Control Order) and when Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced its enforcement, we could not come home because the border was closed. When we finally returned, we were put under quarantine here,” she said.

She said although they were confined to that place, everything was perfect including the arrangement of food, services and necessities.

“My family and I sincerely appreciate the services offered by the frontliners during our stay here,” she said.