KUCHING, May 28: Bintulu MP Dato Seri Tiong King Sing said one-size-fits-all standard operating procedures (SOPs) are not suitable for Bintulu’s unique situation.
Tiong, who is also Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, said there have been a lot of questions on why Bintulu does not follow Sarawak’s pandemic prevention SOPs.
“This is because we understand that the situation in each district and State is different and we cannot use a one-size-fits-all solution. We need to adjust the SOP according to Bintulu’s unique situation and make adjustments going forward.
“The local (Covid-19) outbreak will be suppressed more effectively only by implementing mass screening for different pandemic red zones to find all infected persons, even the asymptomatic ones, and place them into isolation and treatment in a timely manner,” he explained in a press statement today.
Tiong said when the authorities implemented the lockdowns in Bintulu’s high-risk areas, they inevitably met with verbal abuse from the public, at the same time, they must continue with their jobs of protecting the people and stop people from losing their lives unnecessarily due to the outbreaks.
“If the people think that I have committed any abuse of power, they can report it to the right authorities, because my conscience is clear.
“What we are doing is for the health of everyone. For months, many people have threatened me, saying I will lose the next elections. I will not have any complaints if I lose the elections because I believe I have done my very best,” he added.
On the same note, Tiong also pointed out that Bintulu’s single-day number of new confirmed cases has changed from triple to double digits, and we look forward to achieving zero confirmed cases soon.
“This cannot be achieved by the enforcement and medical personnel by themselves, but it takes everyone else to work together. Reflect on yourself to do your part in achieving zero cases. Otherwise, all our efforts will be in vain,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tiong assured the Bintulu Welfare Department will be on hand to quickly arrange the distribution of non-perishable essentials to each family for two weeks including related funds to those in locked down areas like longhouses and low-cost housing.
However, he emphasised, the public must also understand that the Welfare Department cannot 100 per cent meet all needs and hoped that the people will not take advantage of their assistance and demand unreasonable requirements.
“In any case, the authorities will not ignore anyone’s concerns. Even in a lockdown, everyone’s needs will be met. Nobody wants the lockdown but it must be faced. Of course, if residents in these locked down areas have medical needs, such as Covid-19 vaccinations and dialysis treatments, they will be granted access with the relevant documents or MySejahtera app.
“But most importantly, after completing these matters, they must return to quarantine immediately and not go elsewhere,” he said. — DayakDaily
