THE commandants of a police training school, a detention centre for illegal immigrants and a prison are under investigation by state authorities if they had been negligent in observing the Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) at their facilities, said Douglas Uggah.

The State Disaster Management Committee chairman said action will be taken against the commandants of the Puncak Borneo police training school (Pulapol), the detention centre for illegal immigrants at Semuja in Serian and the Sri Aman prison if they were found negligent.

The headmaster of a religious primary school in Sibu and the principal of a secondary school in Ulu Balingian, Selangau are also being investigated.

“We will not condone any negligence,” said Uggah, who is also a Sarawak deputy chief minister.

“We must pass a message to the rest of the organisations that they must be held responsible. That proper SOP is carried out and all precautions are taken to make sure that everyone under their charge and care do not get infected.”

Uggah said there is no reason why ensuring compliance cannot be done.

“It can be done. So whoever is negligent, we will take action.”

Over 400 cadets, their instructors and family members of the instructors were infected in the outbreak at the police training school while 128 prisoners, wardens and their family members were infected in the Sri Aman prison outbreak.

The outbreak at the Semuja Immigration Depot made 245 people sick – all detainees.

Of the state’s 512 new cases reported today, 20 are from the religious primary school which had been named the Jalan Disa cluster and 101 from the Ulu Balingian secondary school.

Uggah said the index case of the primary school cluster was a 28-year-old female teacher who had travelled inter-zone to the coastal town of Kabong in Betong during the school holidays between March 31 and April 4.

She was tested positive on April 9.

He said of the 199 people she had come into contact with – family members in Sibu and Kabong, work colleagues and casual friends – 19 tested positive.

The 179 who were tested negative in the first test have been ordered into quarantine until their second test.

The index case in the Ulu Balingian secondary school is a 16-year-old student who tested positive on Tuesday.

Of the 101 cases detected there today, 99 were students while two were “close contacts”.

The cases at the secondary school made up the bulk of the 105 cases reported in Selangau.

Elsewhere today, Bintulu was the only district to have reported three-digit cases – 149.

Sibu reported 95 cases, Kuching (37), Miri (22), Mukah (17), Samarahan (15), Song and Kapit (12 each), Serian and Matu (nine each), Asajaya (six), Betong and Tatau (five each), Bukit Mabong (three), Meradong, Kanowit and Saratok (two each), Subis, Beluru, Kabong, Belaga and Marudi (one each). – April 17, 2021.