The field team of NGO Iskul Sama DiLaut Omadal (Omadal Bajau Laut School), which works with the Bajau Laut community off Semporna Sabah, is currently under quarantined at the PPR Bubul Ria quarantine centre after one of its teaching assistants tested positive for Covid-19.
"We are very proud of our mastal arikik (teaching assistant) known as 'D' (pseudonym) as she bravely agreed to be quarantined in the Semporna mainland. Her only request is for cikgu Jefry (Musa) to accompany her to the quarantine centre, to which he duly complied.
"D is the first stateless person from Omadal island who agreed to stay in the Bubul Ria quarantine centre for observation, and treatment if needed," said Iskul on its Facebook page today.
"This is the first time ever the teenager left the island on her own, away from her family. For that, we are so proud of her. She has set an example to her family and friends in the Omadal settlement that seeking medical attention is nothing to be afraid of. " it added.
Recently activists at the community-based school for stateless children found themselves supervising quarantine for at least nine Covid-19 patients who tested positive in the stateless communities there.
The stateless community of approximately 210 households (approximately 1,000 people) had two rounds of Covid-19 screenings with 11 out of 53 screened testing positive for Covid-19 the first time, and a further nine out of 136 tested positive the second time.
Many of those affected were scared to go to the hospitals for treatment, and after consultation with community leaders and health officials, the NGOs agreed to provide two weeks of food supply for the community to self-quarantine.
"The medical personnel are there to protect us and save us from Covid-19.
"We are also very proud of the rest of Iskul field team members who overcame their fears and medical stigma. They also bravely step forward to be re-swabbed and stay in quarantine at Bubul Ria until they are pronounced Covid-19 negative or infection-free.
"Two of them are Malaysian residents while three are from the stateless community in Omadal," said Iskul.
They expressed their gratitude to the Semporna District Health Office (PKDS) for being responsive to the medical needs of the community in Omadal Island.
"PKDS had made two more visits to Omadal after the first two Covid-19 samplings. First was to swab our team members to make sure they are free from Covid-19 so they can continue to distribute food aids to the community and to negotiate with the positive patients.
"Second was also for routine checks on the earlier positive patients. It was during this visit that the PCR results of our team members were given to us. That was when we found out that D tested positive," they said.
They also thanked the PKDS and Hospital Semporna for understanding that the socio-demographics in Semporna call for a different approach and leading by example.
"As our field team is now under quarantine, we won't be able to proceed with the food distribution until Health Ministry officials clear them. As a result, the food distribution will pause until all team members are considered as Covid-19 free," said Iskul. - Mkini
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