PENANG, which is fighting hard to curb the spread of the Covid-19 infection, has made determined efforts to empower the strata community.
A ‘Prevention and Early Response Webinar Programme – Strata Community Fight against Covid-19’ was held today for some 200 members of the Joint Management Body (JMB), Management Corporation (MC), property managers as well as high-rise residents who are frontliners in their respective schemes.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who officiated the programme, thanked the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and the Commissioner of Buildings (COB) Department for their initiative in organising the webinar.
“As the state with the most stratified buildings in the country, the webinar’s topics are very relevant to the our current situation where we are still struggling with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The state has a total of 2,504 stratified schemes, with 1,374 schemes under MBPP and 1,130 schemes under MBSP (Seberang Perai City Council) involving 321,000 units. Penang island itself has 232,000 units and Seberang Perai has 89,000 units.
“Given that our state still records high daily positive cases, the role of all the participants in the webinar is crucial in our efforts to curb the Covid-19 from continuing to spread in the community.
“I hope this webinar programme will benefit the participants and increase their knowledge related to tackling Covid-19 in stratified housing schemes,” Chow said in his speech.
He added that the state government, among several initiatives, has helped set up a private quarantine and low risk treatment centre (PKRCS) for free for those in the B40 or low-income homes.
Chow said the PKRCS at Mei Hotel in Abu Siti Lane, set up in collaboration between the hotel and Crisis Relief Services & Training (CREST) Malaysia, would be able to help those residents who do not have suitable rooms at home to undergo self quarantine.
MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said the objective of the webinar programme was community empowerment.
“This programme is to train the trainers, who will be the first responders (at their respective housing schemes),” Yew said in his speech.
Yew said MBPP conducted a pilot programme recently at PPR Jalan Sungai in George Town in which 15 residents from the low-cost housing scheme were trained on how to use an RTK-Antingen test kit and pulse oximeter.
These 15 trainers will then share their knowledge or empower others on using the self-test kit and oximeter.
Those who are found positive are to go for PCR test, home quarantine or further treatment as required by the health authorities.
In response to a question, Yew said when MBPP started a mandatory bi-weekly RTK-Antigen test for its staff members from Oct 1, a total of 2,496 took the test and 12 of them were found to be positive.
“We’re going to have this exercise for the next few months. The fact that some are tested positive will help us to control the situation faster as they have to be in isolation or quarantine and undergo treatment,” Yew said.
State Local Government, Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh, who also attended the launch of the programme, said JMBs and MCs must be very firm in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We need the authorities to clarify the SOPs and once we get the clarity, we have to be firm to be fair,” Jagdeep said.
Among those who participated in the virtual event were state Welfare and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh, MBPP secretary Datuk Addnan Mohd Razali and MBPP Commissioner of Buildings director Nik Ariff Long Dir.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud
Video by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis