Immigration depot Covid-19 cluster, Tenaganita says gov't ignored repeated concerns

After discovery of an Immigration depot cluster of Covid-19 infections, migrant rights group Tenaganita pointed out today that it had repeatedly raised concerns over a potential outbreak among detainees at the facilities.

Tenaganita executive director Glorene A Das (above) in a statement said this was as the confined quarters and constant cycle of people entering and leaving a centre would create a perfect hotbed for the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

"Making matters worse, it is well documented that our detention centres struggle to provide adequate healthcare to detainees.

"Their healthcare systems are not equipped to confront or control a coronavirus pandemic," she said in response to the latest discovery of up to 60 migrants who tested positive for Covid-19 while under Immigration detention.

Apart from its long-standing work that looks into conditions at Immigration depot, Tenaganita has been among groups to register strong objections against a renewed Immigration crackdown on migrants amid varying degrees of Covid-19 restrictions imposed since March 18.

Alluding to the unfavourable conditions while in detention, Das reiterated Tenaganita's call for safe repatriation of all undocumented migrants and their families, as well as the immediate release of those among them found to be refugees and asylum-seekers.

"We believed that this action will reduce the risk dramatically but such warnings were not seriously accepted and today we have 60 infected at just one detention holding centre in Bukit Jalil," she said.

"Tenaganita questions the intentions and values of the Malaysian government which is currently disregarding the basic human rights of every individual there regardless of their documentation status.

"This will become a stain on our nation’s morality and integrity based on the value we are currently placing on the right to a life of dignity for all and further to that, pose additional risks to public health," she stressed.

 Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah yesterday said patients from the Bukit Jalil cluster had been housed at the depot since before the start of the movement control order (MCO) on March 18.

Earlier today, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the Health Ministry is conducting swab tests on close to 3,000 undocumented migrants at the Bukit Jalil and Semenyih depots following reports of Covid-19 cases there.

He had previously said critics of the crackdown on migrants at enhanced movement control order areas should have been "thankful" to the government as swab tests conducted on all of them would prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

Aside from the Bukit Jalil cluster, the Health Ministry is also screening detainees at the Semenyih Immigration depot in Selangor, after two cases were detected there.

Malaysiakini understands that the duo was found positive only after returning to their home country Myanmar. The two cases are thus not included in local case tallies.

According to The Myanmar Times, the country has recorded 11 imported cases from Malaysia, all migrant workers who were recently deported. - Mkini

✍ Credit given to the original owner of this post : ☕ Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH

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