By Karen Bong
KUCHING, June 9: Minister for Local Government and Housing Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian wants legal action to be initiated against Covid-19 cases and clusters that have flouted standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Given the uptick in Covid-19 cases in Kuching which recorded 247 cases yesterday, Dr Sim asserted that the number indicated that community transmissions have not slowed down in the past 14 days due to the festive holidays.
“(The outbreak situation is) amplified by the festive season, spreading to factories then homes and families (with Puncak Borneo prison facility among the places hardest hit by Covid-19).
“PBK Kuching (Kuching Division Health Office) and JKNS (Sarawak State Health Department) must investigate and (take) necessary legal actions for any breach of SOP,” he highlighted in a Facebook post last night.
Dr Sim, who is also the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) advisor, noted that Sarawak hit a record-high of 370 cases on April 16, mainly due to the Malaysian Police Training Centre (Pulapol) cluster.
Acknowledging the ‘mysterious’ way of naming clusters by health authorities, he however reiterated the need to declare clusters in a timely manner as public health interest is of utmost importance.
“Kuching is densely populated with high mobility and extensive social networking activities.
“We need everyone’s help throughout MCO (Movement Control Order) 2021 to stay at home as the impact of MCO can only be seen around 14 days, if we act accordingly today,” he said.
Dr Sim pointed out that there were a total of 273 Covid-19 cases recorded in Kuching (247), Samarahan (24) and Serian (2) yesterday.
Of the figure, he said that 185 cases were close contacts to positive cases detected in 101 locations throughout Kuching.
Among the locations with more than three cases identified include Puncak Borneo prison, Kampung Kolong 2, Kampung Segedup, Kampung Rampangi, Kampung Sejijak, Kampung Pangliman Seman, Lorong Cahaya Damai, Taman Alamanda Indah, Taman Putri, Kampung Sinar Budi, Kampung Tupong Jaya, Kampung Tabuan Hj Drahman, Taman Soroubaya Indah, Kampung Tabuan Hilir, Kampung Semeriang, Kampung Muara Tebas, Kampung Goeblit, Kampung Tupong Ulu, Lorong Cahya Indah, Lorong Temenggong Hj Gobil 5C, Taman Sukma, Taman Malihah, Taman Riverview, Kali Garden, Premier Food Court hostel and Jalan Astana. — DayakDaily
