Relax Covid-19 SOPs to help Labuan economy recover, businesses urge govt

Labuan Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Datuk Wong Kii Yii

KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government has been urged to implement a more flexible Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) in Labuan in an effort to assist the economic recovery of the island.

Labuan Chinese Chamber of Commerce (LCCC) president Datuk Wong Kii Yii said that there was a need to change some of the SOP involving the movement of people especially foreigners in the shipping, oil and gas industries.

He said strict SOP still in place for the key industries would make it difficult for the economic recovery of the island.

Wong urged the Federal Government to allow for international ship crew, as well as oil and gas industry employees transiting in Labuan to be quarantined in hotels and government hospitals.

He said that 70 foreign crew members of an international oil tanker that was about to berth in Labuan recently were not allowed as foreigners could not be quarantined at a hotel.

Wong expressed his regret that the oil tanker left Labuan to berth in Kota Kinabalu because the crew was refused to be quarantined in a hotel.

This brought about considerable economic losses to the relevant industries in Labuan.

Wong said although the Health Department had the right to refuse crew members from relevant countries to disembark and quarantine in hotels based on legal and safety considerations but felt that due consideration must be given to safeguarding the island's economy as the island was a logistic centre.

"The government must take special care of Labuan as an oil and gas logistics centre and an international ship berthing centre by having a special SOP that allows for foreigners, even confirmed Covid-19 cases, to be quarantined in government hospitals if necessary," he said.

He said Labuan does not have as many large private hospitals like Kota Kinabalu, which can provide medical care for foreigners.

Wong was confident that the Labuan Natural Disaster Management Committee was well experienced and able to check the spread of the virus and the island was better placed to focus on economic recovery.