By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, Aug 2: The Bintulu Divisional Disaster Management Committee (BDDMC) is looking at reintroducing mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab tests for those entering Bintulu.
Bintulu MP Dato Sri Tiong King Sing believed the measure is important to contain and break the chain of Covid-19 infection in the district.
“The PCR swab test really makes our control of outbreak one of the very strong points of SOPs implemented.
“We may relook at the PCR swab test coming into Bintulu again because it does not help Bintulu (to break the chain of Covid-19) if we just let go all the PCR test.
“There are people who are coming from elsewhere who have taken their second dose after two months but no swab test and already in the past few days, two cases were identified.
“Maybe, we will relook at these SOPs again to see what is the best for Bintulu people,” he said during an interview with DayakDaily today.
On July 16, BDDMC relaxed the rules whereby fully vaccinated individuals within two months and above will be exempted from pre-travel Covid-19 testing to enter the district.
The mandatory PCR swab test for those going through Bintulu was introduced in April 2021 and only those with a negative Covid-19 test results can pass through.
Tiong explained that the mandatory PCR swab test for entry into Bintulu was to control the Covid-19 outbreak and protect the people of Bintulu from the coronavirus infection.
He pointed out that the Bintulu division is different from other divisions in Sarawak because it is a heavy industrial division where people from Peninsular Malaysia and overseas such as from India, Pakistan and European countries enter the division.
Tiong, who is also Progressive Democractic Party (PDP) president noted the mandatory PCR swab test for entry into Bintulu introduced earlier was successful in reducing the number of Covid-19 in the district.
As such, he said BDDMC is studying the standard operating procedures (SOPs) which need to be enhanced to ensure that it is implemented for the best of the people in Bintulu.
At the same time, he urged everyone in Bintulu to continue playing their roles by adhering to the SOPs of Covid-19 to break the chain of the coronavirus infection.
He noted the success of Bintulu in bringing down the Covid-19 cases from three digits to two digits was due to cooperation of all the parties in abiding to the SOPs including the businesses and the public.
In spite of that, he pointed out that BDDMC still needs to work hard as it strives to achieve zero Covid-19 cases in the near future.
On the recent uptrend of Covid-19 cases in Bintulu, Tiong disclosed that they were due to certain industries which did not want to fully comply with the SOPs.
He added BDDMC is discussing with the Health Ministry to conduct more enforcement at industrial areas to check on the Covid-19 situation there.
“I would like to urge and request all the businesses in Bintulu to work together to overcome this (Covid-19) outbreak.
“No doubt a lot of people cannot accept (that) Bintulu has (its) own SOPs but luckily we manage to make our SOPs work.
“We want to have a better environment and better place for our Bintulu people especially for business people who come to Bintulu to do business,” he added. — DayakDaily
