KUALA LUMPUR: Preventing the spread of Covid-19 among flood victims at temporary relief centres is a priority for the Selangor government, as areas in Kuala Selangor and Sepang battle with rising waters due to the high-tide phenomenon and torrential rain.
The state government said the mission to curb infections was crucial.
A state official said the process of rescuing people from their flooded homes and placing them at relief centres would be dictated by the standard operating procedures (SOP) stipulated by the Health Ministry as well as the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
"We must try our best to deter Covid-19 transmissions and prevent infection clusters during rescue operations.
"We do not want the situation to be made worse by the emergence of a 'disaster cluster'. That is one of our concerns, on top of our operation to rescue residents."
The placement of evacuees in relief centres also plays a role in mitigating the possibility of infections.
"The SOP needs to be followed to the tee, in terms of managing the disaster, arranging the layout of partition tents for flood victims and ensuring their adherence to physical distancing and good personal hygiene."
The official said partition tents housing families would be set at a distance from each other to avoid close contact and overcrowding.
He said the number of families at relief centres would have to be reduced this time, compared with the previous practice of housing about 20 families under one roof. The district and land office, along with the Welfare Department, would initiate plans to open new relief centres if existing ones reached their occupancy limits.
The state government, he added, had made plans to tackle the high-tide phenomenon amid the Covid-19 pandemic since August.
"From my observation, all responding agencies, along with flood victims, have adhered to the SOP stipulated by the government," he said.
As a precautionary health measure, he said, the Drainage and Irrigation Department had been instructed to pump out static water in affected areas.
Kuala Selangor Civil Defence Force officer Captain (PA) Shaiful Azril Zainal said their challenge centred on breaking the Covid-19 chain.
He said their boats could carry up to four evacuees at one time.
"We do not want too many evacuees at a relief centre. "For example, we designated SK Parit Mahang as a relief centre for 52 senior citizens from the Al-Jashiera Old Folks Home as they are a high-risk group.
"We do not want them to mix with other people to reduce the risk of infections.
"People have complained, saying that the relief centre is too far. But we said that preventing Covid-19 is more important."
Shaiful Azril said the Desa Coalfields relief centre, a multi-purpose hall, could now accommodate only nine cubicles instead of 20 in the past.
The cubicles are set 2m apart from each other. He said if the relief centre was a school, a classroom could fit three to four cubicles, depending on its size. Families will be placed together in a classroom.
The relief centres are sanitised by the Fire and Rescue Department before the evacuees' registration process begins, where early family data are provided by the victims and their body temperatures taken by the authorities.
"A family will be allocated to a cubicle or more, depending on the number of family members.
"They must wear their protective equipment at all times and do physical distancing. They are barred from mingling with other families and can only leave their cubicles if they need to go to the toilet.
"We do not encourage visitors at the relief centres but if there is a pressing need to do so, they will have to register, scan the MySejahtera app and have their temperature taken."