MIRI – Strict guidelines must be put in place to govern the sanitation and hygiene standard of hotel rooms in Sarawak, to prevent possible Covid-19 spread, said PDP president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing today.
He said the state Disaster Management Committee (DMC), its district-level committees and the state Health Department must come up with standard guidelines for this matter.
There have been complaints that certain quarantine hotels have not been observing a high standard of hygiene, he added.
“It is high time that DMC and the Health Department set stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs) for sanitisation and disinfection of hotels used for quarantine purposes.
“Once a guest completes his or her quarantine and checks out, the hotel management must follow strict guidelines on how to properly and thoroughly sanitise the room.
“If the authority finds that the hotel has not adhered to these rules, it must have the right to withhold the fee meant to be paid to the hotel.”
The Bintulu MP said each quarantine hotel must also provide all the necessary sanitisation products, including sprays, disinfectants, brooms, mops and garbage bags.
He added that there must also be fixed SOPs on hygiene for the guests during their isolation period, such as a regular change of bed sheets and pillowcases, and procedures on cleaning and disinfection of every room.
“This is to maintain an overall safe and hygienic environment.”
Tiong said the hotel industry has undoubtedly been dealt a great blow in terms of income during the pandemic period.
As such, he said, the arrangement to use the hotels as quarantine centres provides a win-win solution for both the government and industry.
“However, to deserve this source of income, which helps avoid bankruptcy, the hoteliers must hold up their end of the deal by properly maintaining the cleanliness and hygiene of their properties, instead of just pocketing the money and offering poorly maintained rooms.
“There have been many complaints on this matter concerning unchanged bed sheets and pillowcases, unclean toilets, and even food left by guests. Hair and dust are obviously left behind. Even healthy people would get sick living in that filth.
“How could these hotels call their properties quarantine centres?”
Tiong said the authorities in each district must conduct surprise checks on these hotels, which are usually in high-density residential areas, and remove repeat offenders from the quarantine centre list.
“There must be continued isolation of confirmed cases and follow-up testing, particularly among those in rented rooms.”
Bintulu, Kuching, Miri and Sibu are the worst-hit in terms of Covid-19 infections and fatalities among the 40 districts in Sarawak.
As of yesterday evening, the state has recorded some 61,000 coronavirus cases and 389 deaths. – The Vibes, June 23, 2021
