Menara City One residents have refuted director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah’s explanation about the mass testing chaos at the apartment complex on Friday night.
In a joint statement, the residents and the management denied Block B residents turned up en masse to a screening supposedly for Block A residents only.
They insisted that the crowds formed for a sudden coronavirus disease (Covid-19) screening on April 24 were created by authorities’ demand for them to come down all at once.
The residents and management also asserted this was the second time the authorities have created unnecessary crowds that went against official guidelines for social distancing.
They said they requested the screening to be staggered floor by floor.
However, they said residents from multiple units and floors were all called for screening at the same time.
They further alleged that the authorities’ actions resulted in hundreds of residents of various ages crowding together with individuals who were likely at high risk of Covid-19 either because of close contact with confirmed patients or previous travel history.
They then demanded that health authorities be clear in the future if further testing is required, such as by stating who must be tested and when.
Health authorities should also be open to accepting the assistance offered by the residents committee and management to prepare the needed facilities and coordinate matters.
Alternatively, health workers should consider going door-to-door to take the test samples, the group said when pointing out that residents did not have the personal protective equipment as the medical workers performing the screening.