Penang says no to disinfection chambers in public spaces

GEORGE TOWN, April 14 — The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) will not allow mobile disinfection chambers to be installed in public spaces, Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said today.

He said these contraptions would only give people a false sense of security when the most effective way to curb the spread of Covid-19 is to practise social distancing and sanitise one’s hands regularly.

“We have received a lot of applications to install mobile disinfection chambers in various places but based on advice from the state health department, we have decided not to allow this and to only focus on the fundamental preventive measures of social distancing,” he said in a press conference after visiting the wet market in Rifle Range this morning.

He said the state special security committee had also decided that there was no need to install these mobile disinfection chambers in public spaces.

Therefore, he said the non-governmental organisation (NGO) that had set up a mobile disinfection chamber at the Balik Pulau Market has been told to dismantle the chamber and remove it.

“It is more important to keep to the one-metre social distancing, to wash or sanitise our hands frequently and not to touch our faces if we have not washed our hands,” he said.

Professor Ir Mohd Fadzil Ain tests out a low-cost disinfectant chamber built by Universiti Sains Malaysia's engineering students April 6, 2020. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

He said these basic personal hygiene and social distancing steps are more effective in preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

Yew also said there was no need for disinfection exercises of public spaces unless recommended by the Health Ministry, National Security Ccouncil or the district health officer.

“So far, I don’t see the need to do so as we clean frequently touched points such as railings in all markets with Clorox solution every hour and every day we use our scrubber machine to clean the floor,” he said.

He said people are now more compliant with the movement control order (MCO) and social distancing rules in most public spaces.

“We will continue to educate the people on social distancing and if they still don’t comply, we will take action,” he said.

He said awareness on social distancing is now better with over 90 per cent of people complying with the guidelines.

“Now that we are in phase three of the MCO, there will be stricter action by the police, more roadblocks and for MBPP, we will enhance our monitoring and enforcement action to ensure that people adhere to social distancing rules,” he said.

He said MBPP frontliners will continue to monitor all wet markets in the island to ensure adherence to the MCO and social distancing rules.