BINTULU, June 25 — Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing today warned hotels here that they will be dropped from the list of quarantine centres for persons under investigations (PUIs) for Covid-19 for failing to meet the conditions set by the Bintulu District Disaster Management Committee (BDDMC). 

He said he joined officers from various departments for raids on the hotels to inspect their compliance to the required standards of sanitisation and disinfection for PUIs and persons under surveillance (PUS) placed there. 

He said checks revealed unsanitary conditions at the hotels, such as dirty toilets, foul-smelling rooms, stained pillowcases, and dusty tabletops. 

“We even asked for feedback from some of the residents on the spot, and most of them did not dare to offer much comment. 

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“But a few said that upon moving in, they found that they had to clean and disinfect their room before feeling comfortable enough to stay there,” he said on Facebook. 

“These hotels are given a reprieve from their heavy losses by being allowed to earn income as quarantine centres.” 

Tiong said hotel owners must hold up their end of the bargain by ensuring the proper upkeep and cleaning of the rooms. 

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“Instead, these irresponsible hotels are leaving their rooms in a substandard condition and simply pocketing the money,” he said. 

He said the hotel industry in other places has been badly impacted by heavy losses during the pandemic. 

However, Tiong said many hotels in Bintulu have been able to continue functioning as quarantine centres, offering their workers a glimmer of hope during the economic downturn. 

“I want to reiterate that BDDMC and the Health Department must ensure that the hotel operators strictly comply with the guidelines to sanitise their rooms. 

“Immediate action must be taken against those who fail to maintain the standards given, including withhold their fees, and removing the hotel from the list of quarantine centres if the violations continue to occur,” he said.