KUCHING, Dec 26 — Personnel with the emergency response teams and voluntary bodies who are involved in any flood-related operation are advised to wash and sanitise their hands frequently if they cannot avoid coming into contact with the victims.

A Ministry of Health (MoH) infographic shared by the State Health Department on its official Facebook page today said they must wash their hands with soap and clean water if they could not maintain physical distancing.

"Use the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), such as face mask and gloves, according to the job scope. Dispose of the used PPE appropriately – dump it into a covered bin to be transported for proper disposal,” pointed out MoH.

The ministry also advised the personnel involved to take a shower immediately after they are released of their duties.

"They should change into clean clothes before returning to their lodges or home.”

MoH also advised them to wash their used clothes with soap and clean water.

On Thursday, MetMalaysia Sarawak director Haburi Hamdan advised the public to make the necessary preparations for possible floods and landslides.

He said continuous rain had been forecast in the state from Dec 27 to 29, particularly along the western side of Sarawak due to the monsoon surge.

"Floods and landslides are bound to happen due to heavy rain (that lasts for) a long time. As such, members of the public should take heavy rain warnings very seriously and they should also learn from the weakness and mistakes of the public in Selangor and other parts of Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.

Haburi was referring to the recent flooding that hit parts of the central and east coast regions of Peninsular Malaysia.

A monsoon surge involves cold winds from Siberia that result in strong winds and rough conditions in the South China Sea. — Borneo Post