By Karen Bong
KUCHING, March 4: A total of 49 day-trip workers of Baram Oil and Gas Platform have contracted Covid-19 due to non-compliance with standard operating procedures (SOP).
This has caused Miri Division to report a record jump in daily Covid-19 cases today with 89 cases in Miri District, out of which 49 were linked to the Baram Oil and Gas Platform, and 11 cases registered in Subis.
State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas disclosed that the cluster was formed as a result of day-trip workers not adhering to existing standard operating procedures (SOP) and were exposed to Covid-19 infections from high-risk areas.
“If we look at the figures in Miri all these while, they were very low because they have been very successful in implementing SOP with a high level of SOP compliance.
“But in this case, someone breaks the SOP and the Committee is now investigating the case. Both the company and person are being investigated,” he told a press conference on Covid-19 situation update in Sarawak today.
If found to have breached SOP, Uggah, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, said that firm actions will be taken against the individual and the company.
“This is a warning for all of us that we will face actions if we do not adhere to SOP. We have witnessed that many people in one group found to be positive,” he added.
The index case was detected from surveillance screening for workers done every seven to 10 days.
All the workers who had been exposed have been screened and quarantined in a quarantine centre while the platform has been sanitised.
Uggah emphasised that the cluster was under control as infections were contained among workers in the platform.
As for the remaining cases detected in Miri and Subis today, he explained that a big portion of the cases was picked up from contact screening to positive cases and that they have been isolated at quarantine centres or lockdown areas until results are out.
Meanwhile, Sarawak recorded another record high for new cases today with 361 cases with Miri topping the list at 89 cases followed by Sibu (73), Bintulu (71), Betong (60), Kuching (22), Subis (11), Sarikei (9), Mukah (8), Kapit (6), Selangau and Serian (4 each), Meradong (3) and Julau (1).
This thus pushed the state tally of positive cases to 10,424. – DayakDaily
