The mandatory 10-day COVID-19 quarantine exemption accorded to ministers have courted flak from netizens and politicians alike.
Today, the hashtag #AdhamBabaLetakJawatan is trending on the Malaysian Twitter sphere, urging Health Minister Dr Adham Baba to step down for signing the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Exemption) Order 2021, which takes effect today.
The order allows cabinet minister who return from official visits abroad to undergo only three days of observation or surveillance for COVID-19, before they are discharged with a clean bill of health.
Netizens are decrying the double standards of the exemption, even when ministers and deputies have previously been stricken with COVID-19.
Pekan MP Najib Razak said the exemption could lead the ministers under exemption importing new variants of the coronavorus into Malaysia.
The average incubation period before the COVID-19 infection is detectable is five to six days - far more than the three day surveillance period under the new exemption, the former premier said in a Facebook post today.
"There's a risk of those infected being released early and end up infecting more people under the mistaken assumption that they are free of COVID-19.
"It's even more dangerous if those wrongly released early carry the deadlier COVID-19 mutations, such as the UK variant and the South African variant," he wrote.
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang also in a statement, urged Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to keep up to his previous pledge of not having double standards in SOPs (standard operating procedures) implementation between politicians and ordinary citizens, by ordering Adham to retract the exemption.
New COVID-19 infections in the country have hovered in the thousands daily, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country to 245,552 and 896, respectively.
Globally, the coronavirus has infected over 106 million people and killed more than 2.3 million.
Photo source: Astro Awani
Tue Feb 09 2021
.jpg?ext=.jpg)

'Crazy' Mission Accomplished: Melinder Makes Record with 25-Hours Run on Treadmill
Former national athlete Melinder Kaur has achieved the 'crazy feat" of becoming the first Malaysian woman to run 25 hours non-stop on a treadmill. The 34-year-old also sealed a spot in the Malaysia Book of Records by covering a whopping 123.85km within 24 hours.

Former MIC Deputy President S. Subramaniam Passes Away
Former MIC deputy president S. Subramaniam has died, aged 78.

Youth Leader Makes Country Proud by Winning Esteemed Diana Award
Youth leader Anban Ashlan Raj from Penang has done the country proud by becoming the sole Malaysian recipient of the esteemed 2022 Diana Award.

Cops: Over 1,500 Online Sexual Predation Cases Involving Minors Since 2017
The police have received 1,562 reports on sexual-related cases involving minors on social media platforms over the last five years.

Meet the 26-Year-Old PhD Holder
Dr Mogana Darshini Ganggayah holds a PhD in the field of Bioinformatics, at the age of 26. This is her inspirational story...

Beware: The Danger of Joining Non-Beneficial WhatsApp Groups
Sometimes, we join WhatsApp groups that are not really significant to us. This is the danger of doing so...

Yet Another Malaysian To be Hanged in Singapore Next Week
Singapore is set to hang yet another Malaysian on July 7, for drug trafficking...

SJK(T) Students Invent Cost-Effective Ayurvedic Air Cooler from Scrap Materials
A trio of pupils from SJK(T) Rawang in Selangor, have built a portable Ayurvedic air cooler with waste items from a scrapyard.

Boy, 6, Sets Record by Identifying 190 Car Logos in Five Minutes!
Most adults would face issues in identifying car models, let alone recognizing vehicles from their logos. But little L. Raguram is just six, but he has created a national record by identifying a whopping 190 car logos in just five minutes.

Actress Meena's Husband Dies From Alleged Lung Infection
It has been reported that actress Meena's husband died from a lung infection on Monday. Our deepest condolences to the actress and her family.

'Setting a New Standard Worldwide': Rap Porkalam S2 Judges & Mentor on the Show
The second season of Rap Porkalam has now become the standard for Tamil rap competitions worldwide, says local rap legend Yogi B. Here's a chat with him, his fellow judge Navin Navigator, and the mentor, Saint TFC, about their experience being on the show...

Ponniyin Selvan: Local TV Personality Shalini Decodes Aditya Karikalan's Poster
Kollywood is waiting with bated breath for ace director Mani Ratnam's upcoming magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan: I. Here we have local newscaster-cum-TV personality Shalini Priyah Mogan decoding the first look poster of the movie, depicting actor Vikram's Aditya Karikalan character.

Five Kollywood Actresses Who Have The Biggest Instagram Fan Base!
These are some of the Kollywood actresses who have the most number of Instagram followers in recent times...

Have You Ever Read Actress Silk Smitha's Tragic Suicide Note?
The content of the letter Silk Smitha wrote by hand in Telugu before her suicide have now moved fans to tears. The letter is going viral after decades...

'Crazy' Mission Accomplished: Melinder Makes Record with 25-Hours Run on Treadmill
Former national athlete Melinder Kaur has achieved the 'crazy feat" of becoming the first Malaysian woman to run 25 hours non-stop on a treadmill. The 34-year-old also sealed a spot in the Malaysia Book of Records by covering a whopping 123.85km within 24 hours.

Former MIC Deputy President S. Subramaniam Passes Away
Former MIC deputy president S. Subramaniam has died, aged 78.

Five Memorable Kollywood Cameos Of All Time!
These are some of the most memorable special appearances in Tamil cinema...

Superstar Rajinikanth Heaps Praises On Madhavan's Directorial Debut!
Superstar Rajinikanth is impressed with Madhavan's directorial debut Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. Here's what he posted...

Six Tips to Brave the Scorching Hot Weather
The scorching hot weather is back. Here are six tips to help you brave the hot days ahead.

Youth Leader Makes Country Proud by Winning Esteemed Diana Award
Youth leader Anban Ashlan Raj from Penang has done the country proud by becoming the sole Malaysian recipient of the esteemed 2022 Diana Award.