Perak state assembly speaker Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid said they decided to sequester all involved in the sitting after taking into account the present Covid-19 situation.
Besides the state assemblymen, he said, the plan would involve himself as well as the state assembly staff.
The bubble concept will involve four elements, namely accommodation, transportation, extension of meeting space, and daily swab screening for all involved in the sitting.
“The accommodation for all will be at Hotel Impiana, Ipoh, while transportation will be provided for all those concerned throughout the duration of the sitting,” he was quoted as saying in a report by state-based online news portal Suara Perak.
“This is to manage the movement by all involved in the state assembly sitting and ensure they remain within the bubble at all times. They are required to use the facilities provided.
“Any movement involving private-owned vehicles and e-hailing services are not allowed,” Zahir said in a statement today.
He added that it was compulsory for those in the bubble to take a RT-PCR test before checking into the hotel on Aug 24.
“Subsequently, there will be daily screening with everyone taking the RTK-Antigen test every morning for the duration of the sitting.
“Only those with negative test results and which have been updated in the MySejahtera app will be allowed to board the provided transportation to the state assembly building,” Zahir said.
According to Zahir, aside from the main hall at the state assembly, there will be four additional spaces at the same level used for the sitting.
“This will help minimise the risk of outbreaks and act as a mitigation effort to allow targeted quarantine in case an infection occurs, without disrupting the flow of the sitting,” he said.
Zahir said he will chair the sitting from the main hall, which will accommodate 39 assemblymen, while the remaining 20 state representatives will be seated across four areas, according to the size of the space available.
He added that the sitting could proceed in such a manner based on Standing Order 12(2) over the quorum necessary.
“The bubble concept has been explained to all the assemblymen to help them make the appropriate preparations immediately,” he said.
According to Zahir, the state assembly opposition leader and the government backbenchers’ club have all reacted positively to the bubble concept.