KUCHING: The government’s decision to allow school buses to operate at full capacity from June 24 onwards has been met with concern by the Malaysian Parents Consultative Association (Mapim) Sarawak branch.
Its chairman Omar Immun said even though the country is now under the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO), social distancing must still be practised at all times.
Omar Immun
“When school buses are allowed to operate at full capacity, this might cause complication in terms of how social distancing is applied,” he told The Borneo Post when contacted yesterday.
He said though schools are only reopened for Form 5 and 6 students at the moment, eventually other students will return to school as well.
“The government has also allowed pre-schools and kindergartens to reopen and children attending these facilities may also be taking school buses.
“If they do, they might be taking the same school bus and when the bus is full of passengers, this may cause another worrying situation,” he said.
He hoped that a standard operating procedure (SOP) is set whereby social distancing among students in the school bus is assured.
“We must not take lightly this situation because the safety and health of students is very important,” he said.
State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas on Wednesday announced that school buses in Sarawak will be allowed to operate with 100 per cent capacity beginning June 24 when schools reopen for examination students.
However, he said they must adhere to strict SOP and guidelines of the RMCO such as passengers and drivers must wear face masks at all times.