THE Penang government will continue to stay vigilant following the rising of Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron wave.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state would continue to closely monitor the situation and take the necessary measures to combat the coronavirus.
“The number of Covid-19 cases has seen a spike lately and we are stepping up our enforcement to ensure relevant standard operating procedures (SOPs) are followed.
“In fact, I had a meeting with the state Health Department recently on the necessary steps that can be taken amid the increasing number of cases.
“We, however, have no knowledge on when the national borders will be reopened as the Federal Government is still discussing the matter.
“The proposal that has been suggested by the National Recovery Council (NRC) must be brought to the Cabinet for a discussion.
“Hence, we are unsure when the borders can be reopened as of now.
“We are certain that there will no longer be a blanket lockdown. There will only be lockdowns at certain localities if cases from those areas increase,” he said during a meeting with the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce (PCCC) delegation at Komtar today.
Chow said that everyone needs to be patient while transiting from the pandemic to endemic phase.
“Although the number of daily cases is relatively high, the hospital admissions in the state are still under control.
“The Caring Society Complex in Jalan Utama, which had been previously turned into Covid-19 Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRC), can be reactivated if the need arises.
“The Covid-19 Assessment Centre (CAC) call centre is still in operation,” he said.
During the meeting, PCCC also brought up various issues for discussion.
Among those were public sector services that had been affected due to a series of movement control orders (MCOs), reviewing of the guidelines and policies of development, extension of lease by Penang Development Corporation (PDC) and housing related issues.
Officials from relevant state government agencies were also present to brief PCCC.
State Housing, Local Government, Country and Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo, who was present during the meeting, briefed the PCCC delegates on housing matters.
The PCCC delegation, which was led by its president Datuk Seri Hong Yeam Wah, offered some proposals besides exchanging ideas during the session.
They hoped that the good relations between the state and PCCC would be further strengthened.
Among those present were PCCC executive adviser Datuk Seri Choot Ewe Seng, deputy president Datuk Tan Hiang Joo, vice-president Tan Sri Datuk Alex Ooi and vice-president Datuk Finn Choong.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Law Suun Ting