By Karen Bong
KUCHING, June 3: Nurseries or child care centres (taska) in Sarawak will be allowed to operate starting June 9 with strict enforcement of the standard operating procedure (SOP).
State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said that the Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development has already created the SOP.
“I was made to understand that the ministry under Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah will be engaging all the operators of childcare centres and kindergartens about the SOP,” he told a press conference on Covid-19 here today.
On May 12, Fatimah had urged operators of childcare centres and kindergartens to use the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) period to get the necessary done according to the SOP and social distancing rules to prepare for reopening after the CMCO expires on June 9.
The guidelines also suggest nurseries and kindergartens with more than 40 children reduce their daily capacity to 50 per cent, such as dividing children into two or more groups and having them attend classes on alternate or scheduled days.
Additionally, operators also have to ensure strict implementation of social distancing, educate children on environmental and self-care practices, refrain from group activities, and disinfect all toys and materials before and after use as well as not allow sharing of toys and teaching materials.
Operators have been given time to discuss their plans with parents and to make preparations so that operations can run smoothly according to the relevant rules and regulations when they reopen.
Meanwhile, all 7,000 registered childcare centres in Peninsular Malaysia were allowed to operate starting yesterday (June 2). — DayakDaily
