KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 — The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has called on Malaysians to take their safety and health as priority, following the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in several countries, including Malaysia.

Al-Sultan Abdullah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandriah who expressed concern over the detection of four cases in Malaysia as of yesterday said, the people, especially those living or travelling to areas currently experiencing cases of the 2019-nCoV should take precautions and comply to directives issued by the local authorities.

Comptroller of the Royal Family and Household Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said both Their Majesties urged the people to take the initiative to better understand the epidemic and to follow the advice and preventive measures as outlined by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

"This includes maintaining a high level of personal hygiene such as frequently washing their hands with water and soap, using hand sanitiser and to always be equipped with face mask,” the Istana Negara statement said today.

He said the royal couple also encouraged the public to keep abreast with news on the outbreak, by reading on the latest information distributed by the Health Ministry through various channels.

Al-Sultan Abdullah also advised Malaysians to always refer to the Malaysian Health and Foreign Affairs ministries of the latest decision by the People’s Republic of China on Jan 23, to extend the suspension of outbound travel to seven other cities, besides Wuhan in Hubei province.

The cities are Huanggang, Ezhou, Chibi, Xiantao, Qianjiang, Zhijiang and Lichuan.

To date, the MOH has confirmed four Chinese nationals who had entered Malaysia through Johor from Singapore were tested positive for 2019-nCoV.

Their Majesties also expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the prompt action and continuous monitoring carried out by the MOH of Malaysia and Singapore as well as the World Health Organisation (WHO) in ensuring that prevention and control measures were effectively implemented.

Al-Sultan Abdullah and Tunku Azizah also congratulated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs particularly the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing for setting up an Emergency Response Team to reach out to Malaysians in the affected areas, other Malaysian diplomatic missions in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Kunming, Nanning, Shanghai and Xi’an as well as the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Centre in Taipei.

Ahmad Fadil said Al-Sultan Abdullah also expressed hope that the country’s Rapid Response Team (RRT) and Rapid Assessment Team (RAT) would be strengthened to conduct contact tracking and screening of international flight passengers at all Malaysian airports.

In a related development, Their Majesties also regretted the actions of several irresponsible parties who had issued false statements, which were later made viral by others, without checking on the facts.

Ahmad Fadil said both Their Majesties hoped that every Malaysian would play their role in not creating unnecessary panic among the people, or disturbing the peace by disseminating information that has not been verified or were likely to spark controversy.

"Their Majesties urge the people to give their full cooperation to the Ministry of Health and to avoid any action that could disrupt the duties of any health worker,” he said. — Bernama