A health worker tests swab samples for Covid-19. — Bernama photo
KUCHING (July 2): Sarawak remains free of the Covid-19 Delta B.1.617.2 variant, said State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas today.
The deputy chief minister said this is why SDMC decided to tighten travel regulations, including barring individuals who had been in Labuan for 21 days or more from entry to Sarawak.
“Sarawak does not have any Delta cases. We pray that we won’t have any, that’s why we are putting up a very tight SOP (standard operating procedure) from Labuan and Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.
He told journalists this after launching the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries’ (Mafi) Prihatin programme at the Stadium Perpaduan Covid-19 Vaccine Administration Centre (PPV) here today.
Prior to the emergence of Delta cases elsewhere, Uggah said Sarawakians returning to the state from Peninsular Malaysia were not required to take swab tests before departure.
“Now we have tightened it, they must take the swab three days before departure.
“Those returning from Labuan, they must apply from SDMC whether or not they can enter. Those who have been in Labuan for 21 days cannot enter,” he added.
He stressed that such tightened regulations aim to prevent the spread of the variant to Sarawak to save lives.
On June 25, SDMC announced the tightening of travel regulations following local transmissions involving the variant reported in other states.
The committee quoted the World Health Organisation as saying that 85 nations across the globe had reported Delta cases.
SDMC said the states and territories that have reported local transmissions of Delta B.1.617.2 variant include Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Labuan, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, and Perlis.
According to the WHO, the Delta varian is the ‘fastest and fittest’ variant yet.
It is 50 to 60 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which was 50 to 60 per cent more transmissible than the original strain of Covid-19.