KUALA LUMPUR: Disinfection of public areas has been carried out in several districts in Malaysia in efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
In Kedah, Padang Terap District Council (MDPT) has carried out such process in various places district-wide, including bus stations, banks, public toilets, and office buildings over the past week.
District officer Fathullah Suhaimi Ismail said the process was carried out by MDPT staff and health officers.
“We have been going around disinfecting places since last week. Padang Terap District Police Headquarters, including the cells were disinfected yesterday,” he said when contacted here today.
Fathullah said he was grateful for the cooperation extended by the police in carrying out the process apart from monitoring the most densely populated areas of Felda Lubok Merbau with 7,000 residents.
He also said leave for enforcement officers, including eight MDPT Health Division personnel, tasked with monitoring the Movement Control Order (MCO) had been frozen to ensure total compliance to it.
He said to date, one case of Covid-19 has been recorded in the area, and he hoped that the number remains as such following strict adherence to the MCO and continuous monitoring.
“We will continue with the process of disinfection in areas frequented by the public, and we also expect the cooperation of the residents here to continue to be disciplined and not to leave their houses unless its urgent or to get essentials," he said.
In Penang, the Mount Erskine Volunteer Fire Department (PBS) has embarked on a voluntary mission carrying out the disinfection process around Timur Laut district over the past six days.
Its chairman Ngoh Chin Wah said only 10 of their teammates could be involved with the process at any one time due to a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
“We are split into two groups as we have only four sets of PPE. We will increase the number of volunteers if we manage to acquire a sufficient number of PPE.
"We have been volunteering for about six days in this area and spraying is being done on every building and street we pass through.
“We do not except praises or anything in return, but we just wish this will be over soon,” Ngoh said, after disinfecting the Timur Laut District Police Headquarters, Jalan Patani, yesterday.
Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had on Saturday said disinfection process to contain the Covid-19 outbreak would be conducted nationwide beginning Monday.
The process, which would be conducted by the Housing and Local Government Ministry through the respective municipal councils, would focus on high-risk areas of the infection.