Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian
KUCHING (May 22): Entry restriction of customers into shopping malls similar to Singapore’s is being mulled as temporary tightening of standard operating procedures (SOP) against Covid-19 here.
Local Government and Housing Minister Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian said this is needed as Covid-19 circuit breaker given the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the state capital.
He explained the local councils will work with the management of shopping malls on the number of people allowed in based usable floor area at any one time, after receiving medical experts’ advise on crowd control and fine tuning the locations listed by Hotspot Identification for Dynamic Engagement (HIDE).
“Our no 1 priority at this critical stage of Covid-19 is to keep everyone alive,” he said in a Facebook post late last night.
This post came after a new Covid-19 cluster involving a shopping mall in Kuching was declared by the state Health Department that day.
SMDC in its daily update had said the workplace cluster, dubbed the Jalan Simpang Tiga Cluster, had been detected at a shopping mall in Kenyalang Park here.
Dr Sim, who claimed the naming of the cluster was ‘still mysterious, nonetheless thanked the relevant federal agencies for speedily naming the cluster which involved a shopping mall.
He also said it was inevitable for such cluster to be declared given the numbers of people going through the shopping centres.
“Without even HIDE predicting, is inevitable to have cases and evolving into a cluster. (This) Will not be the first Cluster (involving) Shopping Centre neither will be the last,” he said.
Dr Sim, who is also SDMC advisor, thanked the shopping mall involved in the cluster for corporate leadership in closing and deep cleaning the premises and having prioritised the safety of the public and workers.
“Once done with all the workers RT-PCR swabbed and tested (for Covid-19), it is (going to be) the safest shopping centre when reopened. Please support the shopping centre,” he said.
On another matter, he urged the Ministry of Health (MOH) to do a mortality review on the high number of deaths in Kapit.
He pointed out that out of the eight Covid-19 fatalities registered on May 21, five were recorded in Kapit with the cases reported to be coming late for treatment while there also concern about equipment and expertise there.
He also expressed concern over the rising Covid-19 cases reported by Kuching Divisional Health Office and those under the Kuching – Samarahan – Serian zone.
“This is a worrying trend as the post-Hari Raya numbers will be coming in these few days,” he said.