Verify all info from social media instead of blindly sharing them — Bomba Sarawak

A firefighter conducts disinfection fogging over the shops along Main Bazaar. — Photo by Roystein Emmor

KUCHING (May 31): Members of the public must not blindly share information that they obtain from social media; instead, they should verify such news first before making them go viral.

In making this call, Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Sarawak director Khirudin Drahman said many a time, such blind-sharing would ‘unfairly put the authorities in a bad light’.

“When you receive information through various media platforms, please do not simply circulate them until they become viral; instead, the people should lodge a report with the authorities,” he told reporters yesterday when met during a mass sanitisation exercise covering Main Bazaar and its surrounding areas including India Street Pedestrian Mall, Gambier Street and Carpenter Street.

In the operation, Khirudin led a team comprising 23 firefighters from Batu Lintang, Padungan and Tabuan Jaya stations, as well as nine personnel from Kuching City North Commission (DBKU).

On the public sanitisation works, Khirudin said these activities carried out by Bomba and the local authorities were in compliance with the directives from State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) and the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Khirudin speaks to reporters when met during the sanitation exercise on Main Bazaar and its surrounding streets. On his left is Wee. — Photo by Roystein Emmor

“Those requesting sanitisation works to be carried out over their areas must have a reasonable basis for such request,” he added.

He said to date, Bomba Sarawak had carried out 4,749 sanitisation works on public areas throughout the state and also 485 food-distribution missions run as part of the department’s assistance and relief programme for disasters.

“We’re helping to distribute food baskets to all areas as requested by the Welfare Department Sarawak using our boats and helicopters, which are of great use in the northern parts of Sarawak.”

Meanwhile, Khirudin called upon the public to always adhere strictly to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the authorities to cut the chain of Covid-19 transmission.

“We are also glad there have been no clusters deriving from the floods hitting the state recently, in that we made that the evacuation centres under Bomba supervision would strictly comply with the guidelines and the recommended hygiene practices.”

Meanwhile, Khirudin said the sanitisation exercise yesterday simultaneously involved eight locations across Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri.

Meanwhile, Kuching South Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Main Bazaar trading community to Bomba Sarawak for carrying out the sanitisation exercise, which was set up following the detection of positive Covid-19 cases there.

“We will make arrangements with them (Bomba Sarawak) again so that they can go down to conduct sanitisation works across Jalan Padungan on a later date,” said Wee, who is also India Street Merchants Association Kuching chairman.

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