The ministry’s Disease Control Division specialist Dr Azmi Abdul Rahim said there are about 200,000 people, including Malaysians, using the Causeway daily.

“The number of scanners is limited and the number (of Malaysians using the Causeway) is big.

“We need to prioritise and we are concentrating on Chinese citizens,” he told reporters during a briefing here.

Seven Chinese citizens have been confirmed as infected with Wuhan coronavirus in Malaysia.

About 7,800 people have been confirmed infected with the virus, mostly in China. As of now, 170 people have died from the disease, all in China.

Azmi said there are four thermal scanners at the moment at the Causeway and more such machines are expected to be brought in.

However, he said despite the limited number of scanners, they are extending the checks to rail passengers.

“Once we get more scanners, we will check everyone,” he said.

Azmi said a lot of questions were raised on why no checks were done on Malaysians crossing the Causeway daily to work, stating that everyone will be checked once more thermal scanners were in place.

Two days ago, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said his ministry had expedited additional funding for 12 more thermal scanners.

Not necessary to wear face masks at the moment

During the media briefing, several medical experts gave briefings on the ministry’s preparedness in handling the coronavirus.

Dr Benedict Sim, an infectious disease consultant specialist at Sungai Buloh Hospital, said it is not necessary to wear face masks at the moment as there is no human-to-human transmission in the country.

He said there is no need for them “unless they are travelling to China or highly-infected areas”.

He said masks are helpful when there is human-to-human transmission but there is none in Malaysia currently. “This advice may change over time if the outbreak changes its pattern.”

Sim said those who wish to wear them should use the three-ply masks as these were more effective.

Sim said the virus is believed to spread through droplet infection, especially when a person coughs, and through physical contact.

He said unlike tuberculosis or measles, which are considered airborne, viruses that spread through droplets could not travel more than a metre and often drop to the ground.

He said since the virus could spread through droplets, it was not advisable to use the N-95 mask as it was more suitable for airborne diseases.

The ministry has also arranged for dedicated ambulances, core staff, lifts, wards and special pathways for those infected with the virus.

Special processes have also been introduced for labs to carry out tests on patients suspected of carrying the virus. Results of these tests would be known within 24 hours.