THE rural administrative division of Betong will have two more low risk treatment and quarantine centres to add to the one it already has as fears heightened any sharp spike in the Covid-19 infection there could overwhelm the healthcare system.

The hometown of Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah, some 140km from Kuching, recorded 49 new cases in the last 24 hours, all linked to the division’s sole cluster, the Jalan Muhibbah cluster.

The cluster was spawned from a pre-Chinese New Year gathering.

As more cases from the cluster were detected, nine longhouses were also ordered locked down after positive cases were detected among residents.

Today’s 49 new cases bring the cumulative total for the division to 202 cases with one death.

Uggah, after chairing the Betong division disaster management committee meeting today, was told the 93 active cases currently were either being treated at the hospital or kept in isolation at the Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan sports centre PKRC.

The town of Spaoh and a spot in an area known locally as ‘Simpang Layar’ on the Pan Borneo highway have been earmarked for the new centres.

When operational, the two centres can cater to between 150 and 200 patients.

Uggah, who also chairs the state disaster management committee, said he has ordered members of the longhouse security and development committees to be responsible for getting the residents to comply fully with the standard operating procedure (SOPs).

He said if the members of the JKK play their role, it would relieve other enforcement authorities like the police, the Civil Defence, local councils and the army to make sure residents are confined to their ‘bileks’ (living units) during the lockdown period.

“The time has now come for us to pass the responsibility of self-regulation to the longhouse chiefs and his members.” – March 2, 2021.