The Ministry of Health (MOH) will discuss with airlines on implementing COVID-19 screening tests for passengers transiting in Malaysia before going to their respective destinations.

Health director-general, Datuk Noor Hisham Abdullah said the cost of the screening must be borne by the passengers themselves.

''This need not only involves MOH but also the airlines. For example, it should be the policy of the airlines to ensure the passengers undergo COVID-19 screening before boarding the aircraft.

''We can prevent positive cases among those taking flights if we implement it. We have to discuss with the airlines to see how we can implement it. But the tests must be borne by the passengers, not the Malaysian government,'' he told a media conference on the latest development on COVID-19 today.

He said this when answering to a question on the temporary ban by the Cambodian government on all flights from Malaysia and Indonesia to curb the spread of COVID-19 effective Aug 1.