Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing
KUCHING: Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has called on the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) to make it mandatory for visitors to Bintulu to take the Covid-19 RT-PCR test before their arrival to the district.
He said the screening ought to be conducted at least three days prior to the visitors’ arrival and that their test results must be submitted to the police before entry.
“Failure to show these documents should result in entry being denied and the individual concerned should be returned to their place of departure.
“Alternatively, visitors must be quarantined until a negative result clears them,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He said the people of Bintulu were disturbed by the increasing number of cases in the district, with more than 70 new confirmed cases yesterday alone.
“Fortunately, two-thirds of the confirmed cases are in quarantine locations, which means that the authorities have detected and contained the flow of confirmed cases in advance, thereby curbing more transmissions.
“However, one-third of the cases were unfortunately brought in by people from outside the district coming here for work purposes,” he said.
Tiong pointed out that Bintulu is a heavy industry area which often attracted many job seekers from other districts.
“While we cannot prevent them from coming here to look for work, we must insist on their strict compliance with pandemic prevention standard operating procedures (SOPs) and control the flow of job seekers entering and leaving Bintulu,” he said.
He also acknowledged that this has been a major challenge for the authorities.
“Even after repeated advice, many companies, employees and their intermediaries have not cooperated or complied fully in following the SOPs.
“As a result, tougher measures must be considered to contain the rising number of cases. Otherwise it is unfair for many people of Bintulu, whose daily lives have been greatly affected by the actions of irresponsible groups,” he added.
Under these circumstances, he said he had made recommendations to the SDMC to develop the policy quickly to control entry of persons from other districts or states, be it from a Covid-19 red or green zone.
“The RT-PCR test report must be submitted to the police within three days prior to entry in order to receive a travel permit. Even if a person’s MyKad address shows an address in a green zone, the person might in fact live in a red zone.
“Once such a person enters Bintulu, we would not have any idea of their whereabouts. So they must produce the valid documents when entering Bintulu, failing which the checkpoint officers would deport them or order them into compulsory quarantine,” he suggested.
He also said that upon arrival in Bintulu, many visitors, such as job seekers, would proceed to stay in longhouses, rented houses, at the homes of their relatives or friends, without further Covid-19 testing. “If this happens and they report for work, any positive testing for the coronavirus will result in more lockdowns of residential areas.
“When conducting mass screenings of many people in locked down areas, many tested positive. Allowing this situation to continue will inevitably lead to more people infected,” Tiong pointed out.
In order to curb the continuing spread of Covid-19, he said the state has no choice but to implement tougher measures.
“Apologies in advance to the people of Bintulu as this seem like a harsh tactic, but the necessary must be done to protect the health and safety of (the people of) Bintulu and to eradicate Covid-19,” he
said.
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