LUMUT, March 21 — About 190 crew members, including 12 Royal Malaysian Navy officers, aboard the KD Mahawangsa frigate have been quarantined after one of them was suspected to have been infected with Covid-19.

The Western Fleet Command Headquarters said in a statement today that the crew member was believed to have been infected after his wife came into close contact with a suspected Covid-19 individual.

"All crew members have been quarantined aboard KD Mahawangsa, while their family members classified as Persons Under Investigation (PUI) have been placed under home quarantine,” it said.

The statement added that similar action was taken when 150 crew members aboard KD Lekiu returned after escorting a Petronas Floating Liquefied Natural Gas 2 tanker from South Korea on March 4. All of them tested negative for the virus.

RMN continues to carry out its tasks and responsibilities as usual and is not affected by the virus outbreak while any official decision regarding infected crew members will only be issued by the National Security Council and the Health Ministry. — Bernama