By Adrian Lim
BINTULU, July 11: Although the Covid-19 situation in Bintulu has improved recently with the number of new coronavirus cases declining, Bintulu MP Dato Sri Tiong King Sing wants the district to register zero Covid-19 cases in order to win the war against the deadly virus.
He thus called on Bintulu residents not to be complacent with the recent reduction in cases but to continue to cooperate with the government to fight Covid-19.
“The overall situation in Bintulu is easing, with the current cases mainly from the industrial clusters and a few residential areas. We are closely monitoring this while speeding up the vaccination programme.
“So far, nearly 70 per cent of Bintulu’s population have taken their first doses. However, this is still far from achieving victory against the pandemic.
“We will not be done yet even after achieving the vaccination targets.
“Our ultimate goal is still to get to zero confirmed cases,” he said in a statement.
Tiong, who is also the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president, reiterates his call for the authorities in other districts and states to conduct mass screenings for Covid-19 and implement lockdowns to break the chain of infection.
He recalled that Bintulu had implemented strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Covid-19 prevention, conducting mass screenings and lockdowns when coronavirus cases in the district reached triple digits a few months ago.
At one point of time, according to Tiong, the health authorities tested more than 6,000 people in a single day while mass screening continued until the present with an average of 2,000 people per day.
He believed that the strategy of conducting mass screenings and lockdowns had enabled Bintulu to flatten the curve to single digits cases recently.
Hence, Tiong encouraged other states to emulate the measures implemented in Bintulu to contain the spread of Covid-19.
He opined that periodic reviews and adjustments to the measures to contain Covid-19 is a necessity, like what has been done in Bintulu.
Tiong also highlighted that a key component of the authorities’ success against Covid-19 in Bintulu was the contribution of medical equipment by generous donors to assist the health authorities.
“Needless to say, I am incredibly grateful for the support that many people have shown to our efforts to fight the pandemic.
“Many benevolent people, entrepreneurs, and friends have contributed to the pandemic. Their support has been a counterbalance to the critics who were dissatisfied with the strict controls we implemented,” he added.
Apart from that, he urged the National Security Council (MKN) and Health Ministry (MOH) to eliminate bureaucracy and speed up the use of funds allocated to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
Tiong also disclosed that his Bintulu Parliamentary Service Centre is constantly raising funds to purchase more medical equipment and were even able to set up two virus testing laboratories for fighting Covid-19. — DayakDaily
