The Malaysian Insight

PUTRAJAYA should consider converting more hotels into low-risk quarantine centres for Covid-19 positive patients, Ong Kian Ming said today.

The Bangi MP said this would also be an opportunity to help out the very badly affected hotel sector of the economy.

“With record low occupancy rates, many hotels have been forced to close down. But some have been converted into low-risk quarantine centre for Categories 1 (asymptomatic) and 2 (mild symptoms) Covid-19 patients,” Ong said in a statement.

He said several hotels in the Klang Valley have already been converted into quarantine centres for low risk Covid-19 patients.

“These include Saujana Subang, Royal Chulan KL, SILKA Cheras and most recently, a hotel resort in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor,” he said.

“From what I understand, the demand for these rooms have been extremely high, with most hotels reaching an occupancy rate of almost 100%.

“More hotels in the Klang Valley should be allowed to be converted into these low-risk quarantine centres, including budget hotels, to cater for different price points for the patients,” he said.

Ong’s suggestions comes after posts on social media revealed pictures of overcrowded hospitals, quarantine centres as well as Covid-19 assessment centres (CAC) in Selangor.

Yesterday, the number of Covid-19 cases in the country reached a daily record high of 11,079, with the bulk of the cases coming from the Klang Valley.

Ong suggested that one way the government can alleviate the burden on healthcare professionals and other front-liners during this crucial time is by modifying the assessment process for Covid-19 positive patients.

He said non-serious (Categories 1 and 2) patients don’t need to go to any CACs but instead be evaluated at home via video or telephone calls and are quarantined at home or at low-risk quarantine centres.

Ong said to prevent overcrowding at public quarantine centres such as Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang, such low-risk quarantine centres can also provide peace of mind to family members who prefer to be quarantined in a hotel rather than to be at home where they may expose their family members to the virus.

He, however, said these low-risk quarantine centres must be supported by medical staff who are part of the ecosystem of such centres, and the

costs should be paid for by the patients themselves.

“These hotels must also have a minimum number of rooms (at least 50) for it to be worthwhile for the healthcare organisations and staff who are providing the medical services to the patients in such centres,” he said.

“The Health Ministry (MoH) has prepared guidelines on the medical processes that need to be carried out at the centres to take care of the wellbeing of these patients,” he said.

Ong also urged MoH to issue the necessary instructions so that district health officers and district officers can prioritise this strategy as part and parcel of the larger strategy to control the impact of outbreak in Selangor.

“The approval for the setting up of these centres comes from the district officers but requires the buy-in of other government ministries and agencies such as MoH and Nadma (National Disaster Management Agency),” he said.

“This should be seen as part of the ‘whole of society, all of government’ approach towards fighting the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added. – July 14, 2021.