SERIAN – Lack of compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) in relation to the implementation of Covid-19 screening is one of the reasons 239 Semuja Immigration Depot detainees here were infected, said Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg.
He said all detainees should have undergone a swab test and confirmed to be Covid-19-negative before being sent to the detention centre, but that particular SOP was not complied with, and there were weaknesses in the process.
“Besides that, among other causes of the virus spreading rapidly is the depot itself, as it houses too many detainees, with about 75 people in one block,” he said at a press conference after attending a briefing on detention management by Sarawak Immigration director Datuk Ken Leben here today.
Abang Johari said if there was no Covid-19 virus, putting 75 people in one block would not have been a problem, but in the current pandemic situation, it is difficult to observe physical distancing given the number of detainees.
“Therefore, I have decided to build an additional temporary block to house all detainees for quarantine purposes in the depot,” he said.
He said with the addition of the temporary block, the state Health Department can place 10 detainees under quarantine in one room, compared to the 20-detainee capacity of each room at present.
Currently, 463 detainees housed at the Semuja Immigration Depot cannot be deported due to various issues such as limited flights, border closures, no ticket allocation, no documents, no embassy feedback, and inability to confirm citizenship.
Of this number, 239 detainees have been confirmed positive but no immigration staff were infected.
Also present at the briefing were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas, Sarawak police chief Datuk Aidi Ismail, state Health Director Dr Chin Zing Hin, and state prison director Mohamad Rosidek Musa. – Bernama, March 22, 2021
