Bernama photo showing Jalan Tanjung Purun in Labuan on the third day of the EMCO imposed until June 28.
LABUAN (June 19): The total lockdown has turned the bustling areas of this duty-free-island into ghost towns.
It is the first total lockdown imposed on Labuan town centre with people told to stay at home and only go out for essential reasons, like going to the clinic or buying medicine at the pharmacy, as the coronavirus cases islandwide continued skyrocketing with new daily death cases.
Shops selling essential items like food within the hotspot in the downtown area are also barred from operating even for take-aways.
Some parts of Labuan have been placed under a total lockdown from June 15 to 28, following the huge surge in Covid-19 cases, and besides the town centre, seven other localities involved are Kampung Sungai Keling; Simpang Sahari in Kampung Bukit Kalam; water village of Kg Patau-Patau 1 and 2; Taman Perumahan Mutiara Sg Bedaun; Kampung Layang-Layangan; Kampung Durian Tunjong and Kampung Tanjung Aru.
Despite the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) from May 26 to June 24, cases are continuing to rise and the government has decided a total lockdown is needed to help stop the island’s general hospital becoming overwhelmed by this virus once again.
Labuan Sikh Society deputy president cum committee member of Labuan Indian Chamber of Commerce Balvir Singh said the usually busy Labuan town centre, especially at night, has been eerily quiet over the first few days of the total lockdown.
“The streets in the town centre would normally be bustling with shoppers but they are virtually empty, while nobody wants to see further restrictions imposed, it is clear Covid-19 preys on complacency,” he said.
Balvir said he believed that it was important for people to do all they could to adapt to the new restrictions and support the government as it tries to limit the spread of the virus, while keeping essential, business-critical activities moving throughout the next month and beyond. – Bernama