Penguang (front, left) interacts with several shop owners during his walkabout around Marudi town centre in June last year.
MIRI (Feb 2): Marudi assemblyman Datu Dr Penguang Manggil has urged his constituents to keep up with their momentum to return Beluru district to a Covid-19 green zone, after it was classified as a yellow zone from orange yesterday.
According to the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), Beluru district was classified as a yellow zone after posting only 20 cases in the last 14 days.
“We must protect ourselves. Kita Jaga Kita and return Beluru to green where it rightfully belongs,” Penguang, who is also the Assistant Minister of Local Government said.
He appealed to all village development and security committees and grassroot leaders in longhouses in his constituency to report any case of death at home to the respective district office or police.
“Community leaders such as Pemanca and Penghulu, longhouse or village chiefs and local councilors must ensure strict compliance of the standard operating procedure (SOP) and guidelines relating to burial according to Movement Control Order (MCO) and Conditional MCO and keeping their community safe against Covid-19 infections,” he said.
Penguang has also made this call over the radio, on Facebook and through WhatsApp groups following SDMC’s decision to tighten regulation of gatherings related to wakes and funerals to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the state following the outbreak of the Pasai Cluster, which is the biggest cluster from a funeral in Pasai, Sibu since December, last year.
He had posted on his Facebook page the list of guidelines and SOP on funerals in Iban and Bahasa Malaysia that was spelt out by the SDMC, which among others limit the attendance of a maximum of 30 immediate family members for a wake and 20 persons for a funeral.
The others include keeping their longhouses or villagers off limits to outsiders and the other do’s and don’ts in order to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Penguang had joined the enforcement agencies such as police, staff of Ministry of Health and Marudi District Council on a walkabout in Marudi to make sure that the SOPs are complied with by the traders, shopkeepers, restaurants and coffee shop owners.
“From what I can see and the feedback received from frontliners, I am quite happy with the compliance level on the ground. Notwithstanding this, I urge that all community leaders and chiefs to play their roles in protecting their longhouses from any intruders, “ he said.
Penguang said everyone has a collective responsibility to protect the community from Covid-19 infections by working together to counter this threat in their respective locations.
Infections in Beluru district started after a family returned from attending a funeral at a longhouse in Pasai, Sibu end of last year.
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