Sarawak minister: Only kindergarten, childcare centres with fully vaccinated staff allowed to open

KUCHING, Aug 18 — Childcare centres (taska) and kindergartens (tadika) are only allowed to operate once their respective babysitters, teachers and assistants have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine, says Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.

“However, I would like to remind parents that if any of their family members have contracted Covid-19, they must call the operators immediately and not send their children to the centres,” said Fatimah, who is Minister of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development.

Assuming that positive cases had been detected in the households of children attending taska or tadika, Fatimah said the existing standard operating procedures (SOPs) required the centre to be closed for sanitisation and for swab tests to be carried out if necessary.

Fatimah said taska and tadika were given the greenlight by State Disaster Management Committee to operate because there were many requests from frontliners who needed places to look after their children when they were at work.

“With more sectors opening now, the frontliners, staff of governmental and private sectors, and reporters have requested assistance for their children to be looked after,” she said after paying a visit to the fire victims of Kpg Segubang in Bata Kawa, who are temporarily housed at the SM Min Lit hall.

Fatimah said that 98 per cent of workers and assistants at taska and tadika in the state had been vaccinated, with the remaining two per cent comprised those on maternity leave and pregnant.

She thus asked that parents be honest with the operators if positive Covid-19 cases had been detected in their households to allow immediate precautionary measures to be taken.

“Parents must also use the MySejahtera app to show to operators that they have been vaccinated and also to allow contact tracing.”

Fatimah also said a support system must be provided for frontliners to look after their children while they (parents) were at work fighting and containing the Covid-19 menace.

Fatimah also urged taska and tadika operators, especially those located in Kuching, Bau, Serian and Samaharan, to exercise caution due to the current Covid-19 situation in the state. — Borneo Post