Dr Kelvin Yii
KUCHING (Apr 5): Permitting social gatherings in green and yellow zones without inter-zone travel restrictions will increase the risk of spreading the Covid-19 virus, said Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii in a statement today.
He said that such policy by the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) may be counter-productive and not thoroughly thought through as without inter-zone restrictions, there was a glaring loophole where people intending to carry out social events could just take an hour’s drive to Lundu, Sematan, Bau or even Asajaya to hold their social events be it weddings, gatherings or functions.
“Then the risk is that we may increasing the risk of bringing the virus from a red or orange zone to a yellow or green zone and spread it among the participants of the functions itself, on top of the risk of spreading it to that local community when they drop by the nearby town or market to buy some local produce.
“That is why without inter-zone travel restrictions, we may not be able to protect these green or yellow zones but also risk spreading the virus at these social events among the participants,” he said.
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Dr Yii said this following the announcement by SDMC yesterday which stated that holding social gatherings were only allowed at green or yellow zones with no more than 50 per cent of attendance while no social events are allowed in red or orange zones.
He then proposed to SDMC to implement a proper permit system to hold social events, adding that the committee could monitor the location where it is being held and where the participants will be coming from to properly protect those in the area.
As such, he said that this would serve as an additional layer of protection for the good of the people.
“State Health director Dr Chin Zin Hing recently mentioned that ‘public gatherings were the main factor behind the spike in Covid-19 cases and clusters in Sarawak this year’.
“He said an analysis by the Health Department indicated that funerals contributed to four clusters ranging from 25 to 2,000 cases each, while social gatherings led to 11 clusters with 17 to 61 cases each.
“That is why when it comes to public gatherings, extra precautions must be taken. That is why I believe such policy must be properly thought through and loopholes be addressed,” he said.
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