By: Izatun Shari

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Travellers entering Malaysia will have to fill up a mandatory health declaration form in a move to combat the A (H1N1) influenza virus.

The Health Ministry will gazette the mandatory health declaration form next week.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said travellers entering the country had been filling up the form voluntarily for the past few months.

"It is compulsory for every visitor entering and those who return to Malaysia to fill in the form which will be printed in several languages," he said after chairing the first meeting of the national inter-ministerial committee on the influenza A(H1N1) pandemic at the Parliament House yesterday.

Muhyiddin said visitors who failed to fill up the form would be liable to a fine of not more than RM10,000 and imprisonment of not exceeding two years or both under Section 15 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act.

The mandatory ruling is among the 10 steps outlined by the committee to combat the spread of the H1N1 flu.

Asked when the ruling would take effect, he said: "After the gazette. The Health Ministry will make the announcement."

Muhyiddin said embassies and high commissions in the country would be informed about the matter to ensure that foreigners adhere to the ruling.

The other measures to be taken are:

- PAY pay special attention to visitors from the United States, Melbourne, and Manila;

- PROVIDE seasonal infuenza vaccine to high risk groups to prevent the spread of the disease;

- AGENCIES providing services to ensure their frontline staff take extra precaution to protect themselves from the virus;

- TRANSPORT operators will be required to provide face masks to high-risk passengers who have influenza-like symptoms and to those who come into contact with the H1N1 flu cases;

- MONITORING people who conduct temperature screening for the flu at government and private hospitals;

- PUBLIC and private hospitals to reduce the number of visitors particularly those below 12 years old to curb the spread of the disease;

- SOCIAL distancing will be conducted at areas affected by the outbreak. The committee will recommend to the National Security Council to temporarily ban public assembly and the shutting down of schools if warranted;

- THE Housing and Local Government Ministry to enforce existing by-laws to ensure the cleanliness of public toilets; and

- THE Information, Communications, Arts and Culture Ministry to intensify media campaigns to disseminate information on the (H1N1) flu. -The Star/ANN