Taipa and Coloane Community Service Consultative Council member Si Lai Kuan yesterday urged the government, on behalf of the parents who have entrusted their kids to nurseries, to re-examine the feasibility of installing CCTV camera systems in the infants’ sleeping and activity rooms, which could be used for supervision and evidence when necessary.
Concerning the situation that government entities have previously insisted that it was not appropriate for nurseries to set up CCTV camera systems in the two rooms as they involved “sensitive information”, Si urged the government to strike an appropriate balance between the safety and health of the infants in creches and their privacy, adding that it should allow the nurseries to install CCTV camera systems on their premises in line with “adequate and practical” guidelines to ensure the lawful handling of the recorded data by those in charge of the nurseries.
In light of the recent death of a baby girl at a private nursery in Taipa, Si urged the government to review, adjust and enhance the city’s early childhood service evaluation system to prevent similar incidents.
Meanwhile, legislator José Maria Pereira Coutinho said during yesterday’s plenary session that the four-month-old girl was still alive when she was rushed to the public Conde de S. Januário Hospital Centre on October 19. He also said that according to the death certificate, the infant died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), informally also known as crib death.
Other lawmakers also raised the issue during yesterday’s plenary session.
In its apparent response to the incident, the operator of the ill-fated nursery announced recently that it would close it by the end of the year. The nursery is reportedly run by an entity linked with Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (Kai Fong).
According to Macau’s regulations on the establishment and operation of nurseries (locally also known as creches), Si said, kids at creches should be under the age of four. Regarding the situation that some nurseries accept babies who are aged as low as three months, she pointed out that children in that age range do not have sufficient self-care and communication skills and, therefore, they require special care and attention from the staff in an emotional and physically safe environment.
Fellow member urges govt to increase bus route 701X schedule
Meanwhile, fellow member Leong Chon Kit urged the government yesterday to optimise public transport between the University of Macau campus and Hengqin such as by increasing the schedule of bus route 701X, which crosses the access bridge connecting the UM campus on Hengqin Island and the Macau-side checkpoint zone of the Hengqin joint border checkpoint.
Leong said that he has received feedback from a number of UM teachers and students recently who said that the schedule of 701X, operated by the city’s two bus operators TCM and Transmac, is insufficient, often requiring them to wait for 25 to 30 minutes for the bus arrive for a trip that lasts just about 5-minutes, “greatly” prolonging their time spent on public transport.
In view of the fact that the number of UM teachers and students who choose to live in Hengqin has been increasing, Leong urged the Transport Bureau (DSAT) and the bus operators to collect and collate “in a scientific manner” the passenger data in recent months as soon as possible and to increase the schedule for the route during peak hours, or set up designated bus routes between the UM campus and the checkpoint. He also said that the bureau should also shorten the duration of the bus ride. He did not elaborate.
Both Si and Leong made the remarks during the government-appointed council’s regular meeting at the Islands District Public Services Centre in Seac Pai Van estate in Coloane.
Members of the government-appointed Taipa and Coloane Community Service Consultative Council hold a regular meeting at the Islands District Public Services Centre in Seac Pai Van yesterday. – Photo: Yuki Lei
