KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — All new prisoners would get Covid-19 swab test and would be placed separately at gazetted temporary prisons under tighter standard operating procedures (SOP), said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
According to his official Facebook, Muhyiddin said the more stringent SOP in prisons was decided at a special National Security Council (NSC) meeting after taking into consideration the spread of Covid-19 cases in prisons.
“A prisoner who is tested positive for Covid-19 would be sent straight to hospital while those who are negative would still be quarantined at a temporary prison for 14 days before being moved to the permanent cell. If any of them have symptoms, they would be sent to hospital for treatment even though they were tested negative.
“To avoid infection among remand prisoners, the meeting decided that case mention in court be conducted online,” he said.
On the pandemic situation in Sabah especially the east coast, he said the human resource, equipment and logistics capacity would be enhanced including at hospitals and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has been informed to be prepared to meet the logistics requirement of the Health Ministry (MOH) in the state.
“I believe all frontliners including those under MOH, Defence Ministry, Home Ministry, Prime Minister’s Department and others would use their expertise and experience to help us flat the Covid-19 curve.
“What is important is that we must be united in facing this challenge,” he said after chairing the special NSC meeting via video conferencing at his residence yesterday morning.
On the implementation of the conditional movement control order (CMCO) in Klang sub-district, he said those attending the meeting including Selangor Menteri Besar agreed with the implementation of the order in terms of the localities as the sub-district is quite big.
Muhyiddin said this also took into consideration information of the Selangor Health Department that only certain localities in the sub-district are affected by Covid-19 infection.
“I stressed that economic activities and industries in the areas including trade at Port Klang should not be affected.
“The implementation of CMCO in the areas must also not affect the economic sector which is recovering, more so the employment and income of the people,” he said.
He said Senior Minister cum International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali reported that the industries are prepared to continue operation by complying with the tighter SOP to contain the pandemic.
— Bernama
