By Nur Ashikin Louis
BINTULU, May 23: Dato Sri Tiong King Sing will propose to the Divisional Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) and Ministry of Health (MOH) to put the Sungai Plan area under lockdown following a surge in number of Covid-19 cases.
The Bintulu Member of Parliament said from May 1 to 20 this year, there had been 171 Covid-19 cases and one death detected in the Sungai Plan area.
“Everyday we have different (Covid-19) cases coming up from different blocks of ‘rumah sewa’ (rental house) so we have no choice, we need to lock down the Sungai Plan area which comprises of more than 10,000 residents.
“Residents living in the area must not be allowed to exit the area while the outsiders should be denied entry.
“However, retail and services outlets in Sungai Plan such as ‘kedai runcit’ (grocery stores) and restaurant must also continue to operate for the daily needs of the residents,” he said in a video uploaded on his Facebook page last night.
He also said the local residents should only be allowed to temporarily leave the area for emergencies or medical reasons. Authorities will also need to set up mobile clinics in the local area to provide medical services.
Additionally, he called on the residents including those residing in PPR Bandaria Park to restrict all group activities and gatherings including outdoor barbeques and parties but instead, to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and stay at home with their family.
“I will request the police to assist in conducting round checks at all the places. Those who are caught violating the rules will be compounded or charged in court,” he added.
In a statement published under the same Facebook post, Tiong also reminded the companies and employers in Sungai Plan to not harass their workers by threatening, intimidating, and making them resist complying to the SOPs besides threatening to deduct their wages or fire them just for not coming to work then they are under lockdown.
“If their employees fall under the essential service category living in the affected area, they need to adhere to the proper channels to obtain the appropriate certification and documents, and apply for accommodation. The DDMC will then review and approve the application based on the current situation and needs of the company.
“At the same time, for any employees living in Sg Plan who have received their passes, they should not leave and return as much as they want. They must still refrain from moving about unnecessarily and stay indoors as much as possible.
“If anyone was under lockdown but was threatened by their employers, they need to report it to the Ministry of Human Resource to take action,” he emphasised. — DayakDaily
