MIRI – Health authorities are preparing more venues in the Bintulu and Limbang divisions of northern Sarawak to deal with the daily increase in Covid-19 infections.
Bintulu Indoor Stadium is being earmarked to be turned into a treatment and quarantine facility for low-risk infected patients, said Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
“The stadium has been declared closed to the public from now onwards. The health authorities and the Bintulu Divisional Disaster Management Committee have taken over the stadium.
“We need to prepare the place now to not be caught off guard by a further surge in infections as the number of new daily cases is already rising,” he said in a press statement today.
Tiong, who is the Progressive Democratic Party’s president, said the increase in cases in Bintulu is a reflection of the current trend of infections statewide.
He recently cited complacency and carelessness as factors fuelling yet another surge in Sarawak, this time with the Omicron variant being the dominant strain.
He said the public and authorities have already become too complacent.
Tiong, who is also the Dudong assemblyman, said there is also a general lack of adherence to preventive measures across the board.
In his recent social media chats with his constituents, he said he himself had been infected with Covid-19 recently.
“I have recovered but I am feeling fatigued. It is a dreadful experience,” he said. “I don't know how I got infected.
“It shows that Covid-19 is still very infectious. The people in general have become too complacent.
“There are already too many big social gatherings all over like barbecues, big celebrations, big family dinners, fun activities…adherence to SOPs and enforcement of preventive measures have also become too lax already,” he had said.
All unnecessary events should be cancelled for now, he advised, calling on people to stay away from public places as much as possible as Omicron is highly infectious.
Sarawak saw four new Covid-19 deaths and about 7,000 new infections statewide over the past one week. Kuching, Miri, Sibu and Bintulu are the worst-hit.
In Limbang district, which borders Brunei and Sabah, preparations are being made to open more treatment and quarantine facilities to deal with cross-border transmissions, especially in Limbang town.
Bukit Kota assemblyman Datuk Abdul Rahman Ismail said the Health Department there is looking for a suitable venue to be turned into a quarantine and treatment facility.
“We will need to open up a centre for new patients to assist the hospital to cope with further increase in patients,” he told reporters in Limbang town. – The Vibes, March 7, 2022
