Fatimah (centre) when met after officiating Kuching Charity Frontliners Welfare Assistance Programme by McDonald Malaysia and Ronald McDonald Malaysia Welfare Association at the lobby of Majma Mall, today.
KUCHING: Kindergartens and childcare centres in areas classified as Covid-19 red zones are allowed to open but under strict compliance under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) standard operating procedures (SOP).
This was revealed by Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah who said that there were urgent requests from parents having problems in getting someone to look after their young children while they are at work.
“Kuching and other divisions which are under CMCO, kindergartens and childcare centres can be opened while in Sibu, which is under Movement Control Order (MCO), it is still not allowed.
“Why we allow them to be opened is to provide opportunities for working parents and frontliner parents to send their children in kindergartens or childcare centres while they are at work, and also for teachers to return to work.
“For working parents and frontliners, they need a safe place. A safe place is a place that follows standard operating procedures,” she said when met after officiating Kuching Charity Frontliners Welfare Assistance Programme by McDonald Malaysia and Ronald McDonald Malaysia Welfare Association at the lobby of Majma Mall, today.
She added, before the opening of kindergartens or childcare centres, they first needed to disinfect their premises and equipment in the centres.
“Before the centres can open, briefing must be conducted for teachers and parents. Prior to the opening, premises and equipment must be disinfected and setup must have physical distancing .
“Declaration forms must be filled by both teachers and parents, ensure that the usage of mask and sanitisation are compulsory and must be adhered to.
“We also have stringent SOPs before, during and after the classes, so the process of cleaning the place and the equipment is done,” she said.
However, she said just in case if a child is found to be not well, there would be an isolation room for the child and parents would be notified to bring the child home.
“For instance if a child upon arrival at the premise and their temperature taken and if found that they are not well, we will isolate the child and will inform parents to bring their child home, and following that, the closure of the premises until further notice.
“On the first day opening of the premises, we will monitor how many kindergartens or childcare centres are opened or not opened. This is one of our support system to working parents including the frontliners,” she said.
Thus far, Fatimah said in 2020, there had not been any cases reported on the closure of the kindergartens or childcare centres because of a child contracting Covid-19.
“Even if children from the kindergartens/daycare centres are infected by Covid-19, it was from the social activity of the family. That’s why we need the parents’ declaration on where they had been before admitting their child into the premises and this include the teachers as well,” she said.
According to the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) yesterday’s report, CMCO is enforced from January 18 to 31, 2021 for other divisions except Sibu Division (Sibu, Kanowit and Selangau) which is currently undergoing MCO.