Uggah (middle), Chuat (third left) and the others check on the final touches being put for the quarantine centre.
KUCHING: Betong division, which recorded eight positive Covid-19 cases as of today, will have its own mass quarantine centre soon for those infected with the disease, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
Uggah, who is also State Disaster Management Committee chairman said Pusat Sumber Pembangunan Desa Layar has been chosen as the venue for the centre.
On the eight positive Covid -19 cases in Betong, he said the cases included five imported cases comprising four from Kedah and one from Kuala Lumpur who participated at tabligh gathering in Masjid Jamek Seri Petaling last month.
The other three cases are locals. All these cases are confined so far to Debak sub-district.
“They were participants of the Sri Petaling Mosque gathering and flew in here where they spent a few days moving around in Debak.
“Together with the three other local patients, they were later all admitted to the Sibu Hospital,” said Uggah.
He also informed that Betong has also recorded 21 Person Under Investigation (PUI) cases to-date.
On the venue designated as Betong quarantine centre, Uggah said it can accommodate 24 persons comfortably at any one time.
He also said it is good location, being located far away from populated areas.
“There has been proposal to turn the Dewan Rentap and the Rumah Dayak here as additional centres should the need arise,” he said, adding some 210 people in the division have received the Quarantine Order to self isolate at home.
Uggah earlier flew in here to check on the centre and on preparations by the Betong Hospital to face Covid-19.
He was accompanied by Betong MP Datuk Robert Lawson Chuat, Layar assemblyman Gerald Rentap Jabu and a political secretary to the Chief Minister Dr.Richard Rapu.
Uggah also brought with him about 1,200 pieces of face masks, which he presented to the Betong hospital and the Debak sub-district to be distributed to the frontliners.