Woman who ate out while under quarantine tests positive for COVID-19

Viral photo of woman at Hanaz Cafe (left) file photo of hospital bed. Photos: Jemilah Mahmood /Twitter and Adhy Savala

By Coconuts KL

Jul 22, 2020 | 5:55pm KL time

A woman who was photographed eating out when she was supposed to be on home quarantine has tested positive for COVID-19.

The 72-year-old woman and her son both tested positive on July 17 and were admitted to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun hospital on Friday. Authorities confirmed that the woman had gone to the Hanaz Cafe in Bandar Meru Raya on July 6, just two days after she returned from abroad.

A photo of the woman with her face covered with an emoji and a pink quarantine wristband on her hand went viral on social media on Monday. The Hanaz Cafe where the woman was pictured sipping a drink and eating has been thoroughly disinfected and closed until further notice. The cafe’s 20 employees were sent for COVID-19 testing.

There was no word on efforts to track down customers who recently visited the cafe but patrons are required to provide their contact details as part of COVID-19 standard operating procedures.

Malaysians returning from abroad amid the pandemic go straight to 14-day home quarantine and are given pink wristbands stating the dates of arrival and the airports they landed at.

Those whose home quarantine periods have expired are required to continue staying home until they test negative for COVID-19.