Dr Kelvin Yii
KUCHING: Local businesses in Sarawak’s green zones should be allowed to return to some normalcy in phases, opined Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.
He said the majority of the green zones in the state are the rural areas with less dense population, and therefore should be allowed to resume certain economic activities as normal.
He said while he understands the precautionary steps taken by the state government not to implement CMCO on May 4 so that it could study first the implications it could have on the state, he hoped that the state government would take the extra step to allow businesses and the economy to open up in the green zones rather than follow a blanket policy.
“In Sarawak, we have the majority of the districts in green (zones), and in those areas the population is generally less dense as they are the rural areas.
“Local business there should be allowed to return to some normalcy in phases with proper precautions including rules on social distancing, personal hygiene and ban on public gatherings in these places,” Dr Yii said when contacted.
He was commenting on the decision by the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) to not follow the federal government in implementing the CMCO starting May 4.
According to Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas in a statement on Satrurday, Sarawak has decided not to implement the CMCO until it has studied the implications it will have on the state.
Dr Yii suggested that if the state government decided to implement the CMCO later, border control and inter-district travel especially from the red into the green zones should be heavily controlled to curb the spread of the Covid-19 infection to these areas.
At the same time, Dr Yii urged SDMC and the Ministry of Health to ramp up Covid-19 testing efforts to detect if any hidden clusters or carriers so we can isolate and quarantine and reduce the risk of exposure once Sarawakians go back to work when the CMCO is implemented.
He said this is because the testing ratio in Sarawak is still very low and has to be improved if it wants to allay the concerns and anxiety of workers as they go back to work, as it can affect their productivity and mental state.
“In my view, especially with the 105 new cases reported and 94 local transmission yesterday (May 2) in the whole country, it is not only a good reminder that the battle is far from over, but the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin may have jumped the gun in his announcement.
“While I understand the need for the government to open the economy, this drastic announcement by the Prime Minister without proper detailed explanation and most importantly adequate adaptation period will naturally create more confusion and question marks rather than providing a clear and holistic exit plan that is urgently needed as we recover from this pandemic,” said Dr Yii.
He said the implementation of CMCO on May 4 is quite drastic, where it should have taken the ‘phase by phase opening’ or ‘soft landing’ approach needed to transition the people back into the ‘new normal’.
This is to make sure there is no sudden spike in infection and then overburden the country’s healthcare system.
“It is a risk especially since our national infection rate has not hit a single digit as of now and there may be pockets of clusters still hiding and only can be detected if we ramped up testing capacity.
“Instead, they should have started opening economies from the green zones first rather than a blanket policy,” he said.
Dr Yii said the federal government should also provide a clearer picture and detailed FAQs (frequently asked questions) to reduce the confusion and proper adaptation period for the industries to digest and get used to the required standard operating procedures (SOPs) to make sure compliance of the needed procedures are properly done.
“When there is clarity and certainty, there will be better compliance,” he said.
On top of that, Dr Yii said, the government should look into enforcement procedures to help the industries and workplace adapt to the new normal.
“While we can utilise some agencies including the local council and the Rela Corp, I would suggest the hiring of more public health assistants to monitor and implement SOPs especially in public places such as market etc and workplace for the next six months.
“This will not only help with compliance, but also contribute to new job creation,” he said.