This would help to alleviate the overcrowding at quarantine centres struggling to cope with the steep rise in new cases seen over the last few weeks.
Modifying the process to allow Category 1 and 2 patients to be assessed remotely from home would also help to alleviate the strain on Covid-19 assessment centres, Ong said, referring to social media posts from the last few days that showed snaking lines at a number of Selangor’s CACs.
“Several hotels in the Klang Valley have already been converted into quarantine centres for low-risk Covid-19 patients. These include Saujana Subang, Royal Chulan KL, SILKA Cheras and most recently, a hotel resort in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor,” he said in a statement.
“More hotels in the Klang Valley should be allowed to be converted into these low-risk quarantine centres, including budget hotels, to cater to different price points for the patients.”
After conversion, he said, these hotels must be supported by the necessary medical personnel with costs borne by occupants.
“These hotels must also have a minimum number of rooms (at least 50, in my own estimate) for it to be worthwhile for the healthcare organisations and staff who are providing the medical services to the patients in such centres.
“The health ministry has prepared guidelines on the medical processes that need to be carried out at the centres to take care of the well-being of these patients.”
Such a proposal, he said, would also allow struggling hoteliers to recoup some of their losses, with the industry being one of the most badly affected by the pandemic due to restrictions that have minimised tourism activities over the last 18 months, such as international and state border closures.
“The health ministry should immediately issue the necessary instructions so that the district health officers and the district officers can prioritise this strategy as part and parcel of the larger strategy to control the impact of Covid-19 in Selangor.
“This should be seen as part of the ‘whole of society, all of government’ approach towards fighting the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
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