Lee Kim Shin
MIRI (May 21): Members of the public, particularly the Dayak community, are discouraged from returning home to their longhouses this coming Gawai festival to prevent the spread of Covid-19, said the Miri Division Disaster Management Committee (MDDMC).
Its minister-in-charge Datuk Lee Kim Shin said that it was crucial to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in rural areas as it could further worsen the pandemic.
“Earlier, a total of 11 longhouses in the division comprising five in Beluru district, four in Subis district and two in Marudi district that were placed under lockdown between March and early May were released after no new cases were reported in the past 14 days.
“In addition, a longhouse in Subis district and primary school in Beluru district were also recently released from the MCO. Currently, there is only one longhouse, namely Rh Long Genatan in Subis district, which is placed under MCO,” said Lee in a press statement issued after he chaired a meeting today.
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Lee, who is also Transport Minister, stressed that inter-district movement from urban areas to longhouses was “very risky”.
“Those who remain at longhouses are senior citizens, people with disabilities, children and those with comorbidities who have yet to be vaccinated. Therefore, it is crucial to not travel home and to reduce the possibility of them being infected with the virus,” he stressed.
He also urged the public to comply strictly with the new standard operating procedures (SOP) for the Gawai festivities recently announced by the Unit for Other Religion (Unifor) for areas under Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) and Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO).
The Gawai SOP comprises restrictions on the capacity for the ‘Miring’ ritual, which is limited to only 20 people; pre-Gawai celebrations on May 31 are only allowed for people under the same household or longhouse rooms; Gawai celebrations on June 1 are only allowed for people under the same household or longhouse rooms; and ‘Ngabang’ (visiting) is strictly prohibited.