KEMAMAN, Jan 10 — No Covid-19 cases have been detected so far at flood relief centres nationwide, says Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said it was important to ensure that standard operating procedures (SOP) were adhered to at the relief centres to prevent the infection from spreading.

“I see that the entry controls to the relief centres such as temperature screening and the use of face masks are being complied with. The only thing that worries me is the physical distancing, if there are too many (people in a centre).

“In the aspect of food preparation, I also found that there is no gotong-royong for cooking being carried out at the relief centres that I visited, with only a few people appointed to cook as set by the SOP,” he told reporters after visiting the relief centre at SK Bukit Mentok here, today.

Advertisement

In the meantime, Ismail Sabri said non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that intend to deliver aid to flooded areas should first contact the respective District Flood Management Centres.

“By contacting the management centre, the first thing we can know is the names of those involved in the delivery of goods, so that if anything happens, we know who is involved.

“The second is in terms of the distribution of goods, so we can coordinate where the goods should be sent. We do not want the NGOs to go to the areas on their own, which could result in some areas getting too much, some less, and some receiving nothing at all,” he said.

Advertisement

He said NGO members coming from red zones were also advised to be screened for Covid-19 before sending any assistance to the relief centres involved.

Earlier, Ismail Sabri handed over goods donated by the Ministry of Defence to victims at the SK Bukit Mentok flood relief centre. — Bernama