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KUCHING, April 19 — Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg today said he has directed all enforcement agencies to strictly monitor inter-zone travel movement in light of the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the state, effective immediately.
These include the police, state security unit, military, civil defence department and people’s volunteer department (Rela).
He said he has ordered them to only allow those providing essential services to proceed with their journey, but that they must also obtain permission from the police first.
“Inter-zone travel is one of the main contributors to the spread of Covid-19. To date, 506 cases have been detected and eight clusters formed due to inter-zone travel since January 2021,” he said during a virtual press conference.
He said another reason for the rise in case numbers is the lack of compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs), especially during social gatherings.
He said gatherings, such as funerals, were responsible for 3,612 cases from eight clusters, resulting in 31 deaths.
“Other gatherings such as family get-togethers, birthday parties, farewell parties, festive gatherings, events such as gotong-royong and cockfighting sessions, resulted in 22 clusters, 1,053 Covid-19 cases and five deaths,” the chief minister said.
“Although enforcement agencies are doing their part by issuing fines to those who flout the law, I urge everyone to comply with the SOPs.
“Only with the cooperation and awareness of the public, can we win as we have done in the past,” he added.
He said the number of Covid-19 cases had been on the rise since January 8 this year, but at a controlled rate.
“We need to remind ourselves that we flattened the curve before and we can do it again. This can only be done with the cooperation of many,” he said.
The chief minister said in the light of the spike in Covid-19 cases in several cities, such as Sibu, Bintulu and Miri, the state government has decided to extend the controlled movement control order (CMCO) to April 26, 2021, for the whole of the state.
He said the state government had decided to stick to the CMCO as enforcement efforts were bogged down by numerous issues, such as in Sibu.
“Simply implementing MCO for the whole of Sarawak will burden many industries and destroy many livelihoods.
“However, there is also a need for us to take drastic measures to cut the chain of infection given our limited healthcare resources and manpower reaching fatigue level,” he said.
He said the state government has also decided to continue the practice of “Trace, Test, Quarantine and Isolate” when there is a Covid-19 case and maintain the 14-day quarantine period for those entering Sarawak.
He added that since January, the 14-day quarantine policy had detected 60 Covid-19 cases from abroad and 270 Covid-19 cases returning from other states.