KUCHING: The Stadium Muhibah in Bintulu has been converted into a low-risk Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRC) in preparation for a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said that with the increasing cases in the town, and once the occupancy at the hospital reached maximum, the PKRC could be put back into operation like previously without any major renovation or alteration.
“Otherwise, it would not be possible to open to the public on short notice.
“And unfortunately, we cannot keep it open as a sports and leisure centre for some time,” he said in a statement on Saturday (Mar 5).
Tiong hoped that everyone would understand that the whole of Sarawak, including Bintulu, was facing another wave of COVID-19.
He said the Dewan Suarah and the Bintulu Port’s Menara Kidurong have also been converted by the Bintulu Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) into quarantine centres.
He added that Bintulu was seeing double digits in new cases every day and the numbers have even climbed to three digits.
“In Bintulu Hospital now, except for obstetrics and gynaecology, 16 beds are used exclusively for COVID-19 patients, so some anticipation of future needs is necessary.
“In order to better cope with the new wave, the stadium must not be open to the public for now. Of course, we really hope we do not need to resort to using the previous isolation centre again.
“Therefore, I urge all the people of Bintulu to strictly comply with the standard operating procedures (SOP) for COVID-19 prevention. Let’s do our best to work together to curb the spread of cases and rebuild our home,” he said.
He advised everyone in Bintulu and even those in neighbouring divisions to be cautious about the pandemic by reducing gatherings to protect themselves and their families.
