KUCHING, March 6: Stadium Muhibah in Bintulu is now closed to the public as it is on standby to be reverted into a quarantine and low-risk treatment centre (PKRC) if the Covid-19 situation in the division worsens.
Bintulu MP Dato Seri Tiong King Sing said if the hospital reaches full occupancy, the authorities can bring the PKRC back into operation without any drastic renovations or alterations.
“Otherwise, it (PKRC) would take a long time to be set up on short notice. Therefore, we cannot keep the stadium open as a sports and leisure centre,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Previously, the Bintulu Division Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) had also converted Dewan Suarah Bintulu and Menara Kidurong of Bintulu Port into PKRCs.
However, the Dudong assemblyman stressed that medical equipment and supplies could be wasted if these places opened without careful planning.
“Despite the necessary preparations, I do hope that the stadium would not be used as an isolation centre. Because if we have to resort to that, it would mean that Bintulu’s situation has become worse,” he added.
The stadium was initially used as an isolation centre before being upgraded into a treatment centre for patients with minor symptoms.
Tiong added that in Bintulu Hospital, 16 beds are used exclusively for Covid-19 patients. ― DayakDaily
