Heed health advisory on heatwave, says S’wak minister

MIRI (July 31): Parents and schools should take precautionary measures in dealing with the heatwave hitting Miri Division and the rest of the state, Minister of Transport Sarawak Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin has advised.

He said they should adhere to the advisory put in place by both the Education Department and the Ministry of Health during previous episodes of heatwaves in the country.

“Last year, the Education Department had issued guidelines and directives to schools in regards to this.

“In view of the heatwave in Miri Division, the general public are advised to follow the health guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health,” he said.

Both Sarawak state health department and Miri divisional health office have shared some general advisory to the community on their respective Facebook platforms and Health Promotion platforms.

“I believe the Education Department will issue the appropriate guidelines for schools affected,” he told The Borneo Post.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) issued a Level 1 heatwave alert for eight locations across Malaysia yesterday morning, down from 12 the previous day.

Seven of the locations are in Sarawak, including two in Miri division – Telang Usan and Marudi districts.

The department defines a Level 1 heatwave as three consecutive days of temperatures between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius.

Earlier on July 27, MetMalaysia issued a Level 1 (alert) heatwave warning for Sri Aman and Bintulu districts.