Lee (right) joined the Miri Hash House Harrier (MHHH) to pick up rubbish at Marina Beach on a beach cleaning campaign today.
MIRI (Oct 25): Being one of busiest government hospitals in the Northern region here, Miri Hospital handles hundreds of swab test samples from divisions of Miri, Limbang, Lawas, as well as Marudi District on a daily basis.
According to Minister of Transport Datuk Lee Kim Shin, as of Oct 22, the number of RT-PCR tests that have been handled and tested by Miri Hospital has accumulated to more than 33, 000 since March.
“It actually reflected the amount of workload that our frontline workers, consisting of medical doctors, nurses, laboratory staff and even cleaners, are facing every day, and it is getting overwhelming as the Covid-19 situation is worsening.
“In Sabah, our frontline workers have almost reached the point of breaking down. The numbers are still rising and hospitals are reaching their full capacity. It is such a heartbreaking moment to see,” said Lee told reporters after officiating the Miri Hash House Harrier beach cleaning this morning (Oct 25).
Hence, he added, local community must not ignore the danger and damage the pandemic was causing, and to give full cooperation to flatten the curve again.
“The Covid-19 standard operating procedure is there to protect you and your loved ones from the threat. So, please practise physical distancing, wear your face mask and wash hands regularly with water and soap, or hand sanitiser. When everyone is doing their part, we could win this pandemic,” said the minister in-charge of Miri Division Disaster Management Committee (MDDMC).
Lee was thankful that the situation in the state, particularly the northern region has been very much in control, as the state government had stricken the border and imposing 14-day compulsory quarantine policy for every Sarawakian returning home.
“I’ve received calls from people whose children wanting to return to the state from Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah and overseas, asking for leniency and exemption.
“My view would be that, no one is immune from the virus, therefore there is no exception.
“After all, all expenses for the 14-day quarantine (for Sarawakian) are paid fully by our Sarawak government,” said the Senadin assemblyman.