Note of Editor: The story has been updated at 4.45pm today.
By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, Feb 2: Covid-19 testing should be made compulsory for all Sibu Jaya residents if there is scientific evidence showing that there is a possible outbreak in the satellite town.
This is the view of Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) deputy chairman Wong Ching Yong who expressed disappointment over the short mass screening exercise which was conducted by the Health Ministry (KKM) on Jan 31, 2021.
“The mass screening on that day started from 9am. Many turned out but by 12.30pm, the health personnel had run out of swab cotton buds. So the whole mass screening exercise ended at 12.30pm.
“If KKM has any scientific evidence showing that there is a possible Cover-19 outbreak in Sibu Jaya, then testing should be made compulsory for all the residents of Sibu Jaya,” Wong told DayakDaily.
After the mass screening ended at 12.30pm, he said screening continued at Sibu Jaya Clinic.
Despite so, Wong held that KKM should conduct a few more rounds of mass screening in Sibu Jaya to allow the residents to go for testing to prevent the novel coronavirus from spreading any further to other parts of Sibu.
Wong said it is estimated that Sibu Jaya has a population of over 30,000 based on its 7,000 units of rate-eligible properties consisting of houses and commercial buildings.
“There are only 122 lanes and streets in Sibu Jaya, so it is not that difficult to get everyone tested in Sibu Jaya. The number of 668 tested on Jan 31, 2021 is just too little,” said Wong who is also the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Dudong branch chief.
Meanwhile, Wong also called on the police to station officers around the clock at the road block at the main entrance to Sibu Jaya.
“We also hope the police will identify all the ‘jalan tikus’ in Sibu Jaya and block all these entrances. We have people telling us that there are two to three ‘jalan tikus’ in Sibu Jaya,” said Wong. — DayakDaily
