PETALING JAYA: Malaysians who travel abroad regularly have urged the government to be consistent and clear when updating its quarantine policy.

       Some said they were unaware of the latest changes and were caught by surprise at the airport.

       Dr Katherine Poh, a deputy vice-chancellor of a private university, said the period of quarantine must be spelt out in terms of nights and not days.

       “Seven days and seven nights are two different things. When I touched down at KL International Airport from Bangkok recently, I was told that I had to quarantine at a hotel for seven days.

       “However, on the seventh day, I was forced to stay for one more night. I thought seven days meant six nights and seven days,” she said.

       “I was told that as I checked into the hotel during the wee hours, I had to quarantine for an extra day.”

       To make matters worse, Poh, 68, said she was not provided with the help needed at the airport.

       “I was told that I had to observe my quarantine at a hotel and that I needed to get pre-approval if I wanted to do home quarantine.

       “I went to the counters representing hotels to seek help but none of them was open as I arrived in the wee hours.

       “I don’t mind quarantining at a hotel but I was so helpless as no one was there to assist,” she said.

       She said she was also treated like a Covid-19 patient at the hotel.

       “Why can’t the government have a different set of standard operating procedure for people arriving and not to treat us like Covid-19 patients?” she asked.

       Tutor Zainah Ismail vented her frustration as her application for home quarantine was rejected.

       “My home quarantine was rejected because I was coming back from Saudi Arabia. I live alone there. I have been teaching online and working from home for the past few weeks,” she said.

       Zainah said she did not want to pay extra to be quarantined at a hotel as she has a house where she can be alone.

       “I am really disappointed as I have been fully vaccinated but I still have to fork out extra money to quarantine in a hotel.

       “I feel very helpless as the policy has been changed a few times and I am not sure what I should do anymore,” she said.

       Australian Malaysian Singaporean Association president Thomson Ch’ng said the latest challenges posed by the Omicron variant and the constant changing of travel rules, including quarantine regulations, made it challenging for Malaysians abroad to plan a return trip home.

       “Malaysians abroad, including the thousands in Australia, have been separated from their loved ones since the start of the pandemic. “The high vaccination rate in both countries initially offered a glimpse of hope for international travel to return to normality.

       “Many Malaysian Chinese who are residing in Australia, were hoping to go home to reunite and reconnect with their loved ones during Chinese New Year, especially those with elderly parents and relatives after being separated for two years,” he added.

       On Thursday, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said travellers who received booster shots were only required to undergo a five-day quarantine period upon arrival in Malaysia and they would not be required to wear pink surveillance wristbands.

       However, he said travellers from higher-risk countries, who were allowed to home quarantine, would still be required to wear a digital surveillance bracelet.