HIDE-listed Plaza Merdeka goes extra mile as precaution
KUCHING: Plaza Merdeka Mall here has been undergoing sanitisation works twice a week since last year as one of the precautionary measures against Covid-19.
According to mall management’s spokesman, the works cover most of the areas within the building.
“The lifts, escalators and handrails are also sanitised every two hours throughout its daily operating time,” the spokesman told The Borneo Post, in connection with the mall being listed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) under the ‘Hotspot Identification for Dynamic Engagement’ (HIDE) signifying the premises’ risk of potentially becoming a Covid-19 hotspot over a seven-day horizon.
The spokesman said the Plaza Merdeka operators had always been adhering strictly to the standard operating procedures (SOP) issued by the authorities.
He said despite Plaza Merdeka remaining open for now, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) would have the final say on whether or not a shopping mall should be closed following the assessment of its risk of turning into a Covid-19 hotspot area.
Apart from Plaza Merdeka, three other shopping malls in Sarawak are listed under the HIDE early warning system – they are Vivacity Megamall Kuching, The Summer Mall in Kota Samarahan, and The Spring Bintulu.
National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had previously said HIDE-listed premises would not need to close, except upon the directive from the authorities.
The premises would be removed from the HIDE list if no Covid-19 hotspot emerged there after pre-emptive actions had been taken.