Miri Indoor Stadium now a swab centre for returnees

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Lee (third right) and others in a photo call at Miri Indoor Stadium which has been temporarily transformed into a designated swab centre for returning travellers.

MIRI: A one-stop centre to carry out swab-testing procedure for returning travellers has been set up at Miri Indoor Stadium, said state Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin.

Lee, who heads the Miri Division Disaster Management Committee, said the stadium is an ideal venue as it has ample parking facilities and ventilation for the public.

“More importantly, the facility is also convenient for the healthcare personnel to perform swabs with their personal protective equipment suits (PPE) and the related safety aspects,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He added that sanitisation of the indoor stadium will be carried out daily by the Fire and Rescue Department.

According to Lee, travellers arriving here from the peninsula, Labuan and Sabah, whose residential addresses are within Miri district, will be issued with a home quarantine order by health officers.

“The date and time for their Day 2 swab will be explained to them upon arrival and will be written on their quarantine order document. They must then go to the designated swab centre and the procedure will be conducted by health personnel stationed there.

“It is crucial that they strictly follow the appointment for Day 2 swab, while also wearing three-ply face mask and adhering to physical distancing rules. Once the swab procedure is done, they must return home to continue the quarantine process,” he said.

Lee explained that the results of the swab test will be sent via short messaging system (SMS), after which the traveller must return to Miri Indoor Stadium to secure their quarantine release order.

For travellers whose residential address is in Subis, Beluru, Marudi and Telang Usan, Lee said they will be admitted to a government quarantine centre upon arrival at Miri Airport or the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex in Sungai Tujoh.

“They will be transported to the quarantine centre and swab testing will be conducted there. If their result is negative, they will be allowed to return home.”

He said travellers returning from overseas, including Brunei, will be quarantined in a designated centre and undergo swab tests on the second and 10th day.

They will have to test negative and also complete their quarantine period, before being allowed to return home, he added.