LANGKAWI – The Kedah/Perlis chapter of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd to partner with the latter’s healthcare arm in an effort to contain any Covid-19 outbreak at hospitality properties under MAH here.
Maju will provide personnel and containment measures to any of MAH’s 30 members on the island with immediate effect.
Maju’s group managing director Datuk Aminudin Hashim said that it has now been 25 months since the pandemic brutalised the world with its rapid infections that forced lockdowns and restrictions.
“We are now hoping that we can enter the endemic phase. I think everybody knows we need to live with the virus, but we must take the necessary contagion measures to be ready for any eventuality. We must cooperate to contain this virus.”
Aminudin said that Omicron is likely not the last variant of the virus.
Although it can spread 40 times faster than other variants, there is hope that the world will enter the endemic phase sometime this year.
Maju, a conglomerate with diversified business interests, has collaborated with the medically accredited Gribbles Pathology to develop a rapid testing site facility for Covid-19 in Langkawi.
Situated in an open space opposite the Langkawi International Mahsuri Exhibition Complex, it is the largest facility of its kind in northern Malaysia, and can administer up to 5,000 tests daily.
Currently, it is handling about 200 RTK-Ag and RT-PCR tests, and is among the main testing facilities for visitors who sign up for the international tourism bubble.
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Aminudin said that Maju will provide support services in the event infections emerge at a hotel, and will also liaise with the Global Doctors movement to provide specialised care in the event a hotel guest breaches Stage 3.
Usually patients in Stages 1 and 2 of Covid-19 are allowed to self-quarantine at home or within the confines of their hotel rooms.
For Stage 3, the patient would likely be referred to the Health Ministry and would have to undergo treatment at an isolation ward or at public or private hospitals.
“Maju will help the hotels to isolate those who are positive,” said Aminudin.
It is wise for hoteliers to realise the need to detect the virus early so that the best treatment can be administered and the patients can recover, he said.
Kedah/Perlis MAH chapter chairman Eugene Alan Dass said that the link-up with Maju is part of the hotels’ commitment to improve their safety and security standards during this pandemic.
“We hope that as we improve our surveillance of Covid-19, rest assured, we can inject confidence back into the tourism sector and more travellers can come.”
Dass also expressed his hope that the relevant authorities can help bring back foreign tourists to complete the recovery of the industry. – The Vibes, January 24, 2022
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