Selangor to set up COVID-19 transit quarantine centres in four districts - Amirudin Shari

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor state government will be opening four transit quarantine centres for COVID-19 patients in Klang, Hulu Langat, Petaling and Sepang as an effort to curb infection in the community.

Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Amirudin Shari said the transit centres would provide support to individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 or to those waiting for the health screening results to undergo the mandatory quarantine before being sent to the hospital for treatment.

He said the four districts have been recording high daily positive COVID-19 cases in the state with a total of 1,082 new cases reported yesterday (Feb 11) bringing the total cumulative number of cases to 83,281.

He said priority would be given to patients living in the People’s Housing Projects (PPR) who lack space to conduct effective home-quarantine.

“This transit quarantine centre is for those involved or any individuals whose residence is not suitable for self-quarantine due to poor ventilation and a limited number of rooms that houses too many people,” he added.

Individuals undergoing temporary self-quarantine at the centre would then be sent to the COVID-19 Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRC) in Taman Ekspo Pertanian Malaysia (MAEPS) Serdang or the hospital, he said.

Amiruddin said several locations near the COVID-19 Assessment Centre in the affected districts have been identified as the locations for the quarantine transit centres.

On the COVID-19 vaccines, Amiruddin assured that the purchase by the state government would be in line with the procurement set by the federal government.

"We are reviewing the list of vaccines bought by the federal government. So far, we have been informed that they will buy Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Cansino and Sputnik V vaccines, which is in the process of getting approval from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA),” he said.

He said the state government took the initiative to purchase three to five million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to expedite vaccination of the Selangor people against the virus.

"The state government will not disturb the enrolment of the COVID-19 vaccination by the federal government but we will add to it by offering (vaccines) to the manufacturing sector to speed up the delivery of vaccines to the target group,” he said adding that this would facilitate the formation of the herd immunity to protect its people against the deadly virus.

Previously the state government had announced its decision to purchase three to five million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for its people, including foreign workers.

-- BERNAMA