KUCHING: State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas has assured that the two-persons-per-hotel-room policy was implemented on the advice of medical experts.
“We were advised to put two persons in a room where if one happened to test positive, then we are able to detect only one close contact person,” he told reporters during the SDMC daily Covid-19 press conference, yesterday.
According to Uggah, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, the policy was made due to the high number of students and civilians returning to the state from West Malaysia, Sabah and Labuan.
“We were told that most of the students were staying in their campus which is as good as being quarantined for over two months. Therefore, we classified them as PUS and are not that high risk.
“We also looked at the capacity of hotel rooms in Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri. Since we decided to quarantine the PUS, our only option was to place two persons in a room,” he explained.
In the case of PUS showing early symptoms, Uggah said they would be relocated to the hospital for immediate treatment.
He revealed that there were also plans for PUS to be housed in boarding houses in Kuching, Sibu and Miri where they would share a room with about 10 to 15 people.
“But then, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said to give them a more comfortable place to stay so that is why we are placing them in hotel rooms,” he said.
“But if they feel like they don’t want to stay two in a room, then they also have the option to stay at quarantine centres,” he added.
Uggah also noted that one time, a flight to Sibu had to be halted due to insufficient rooms to place the PUS.
“We also had to reduce flights to Kuching and Miri to make sure that the policy can be implemented properly which Sabah has adopted as well.”
