KUCHING, March 21 — It is imperative to set a limit on the number of customers allowed into stores in Bintulu at any given time, says Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
In a statement yesterday, he pointed out adhering to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in crowd control in supermarkets is vital.
He noted that while many supermarkets do place MySejahtera QR codes and thermometers at their entrances for customers, in most instances they do not limit the number of people allowed into their premises at one time or to maintain minimum physical distancing.
“These supermarkets are for people to buy their daily needs, with more customers on holidays.
“Unfortunately, the reality is that if there is only one infected person allowed into the store, many people would end up being infected and making the challenge to contain these infections greater for the Health Department,” he said.
Tiong informed that he had recommended to the Bintulu Disaster Management Committee Friday that all relevant units must strengthen enforcement of the SOP to ensure that businesses, companies, and the communities in the district would strictly comply with the SOP.
“If these supermarkets refuse to cooperate or neglect to implement the necessary guidelines and SOP, they should be immediately ordered to close so the public won’t be put at risk,” he said.
Tiong further asserted that violators of these limits must be fined and a lockdown ordered.
“We must do this in order to curb the pandemic. I am aware of cases breaking out from stores in the past. When giving the order and valid reasons for a business to order, the Health Department has faced uncooperative businesses which refused to adhere to the orders.”
Pointing out that the number of new confirmed cases in Bintulu has remained high every day and that there have been 34 cases from a supermarket cluster here alone, Tiong stressed that the authorities cannot continue to tolerate businesses’ lapses of compliance with SOP.
“Supermarkets in Bintulu must not become complacent with Covid-19 preventions SOP or it would lead to more viral outbreaks. The routine of implementing the SOP cannot be relaxed or without adequate crowd control. Becoming complacent is how clusters can form and lead to greater difficulty of containing outbreaks,” he said.
Tiong urged the armed forces and police to intervene by controlling the flow of people into various places to ensure compliance to the SOP. — Borneo Post Online
