Sarawak to maintain flight restrictions until Aug 31

Flight restrictions into Sarawak were initially supposed to end on Aug 14. (Bernama pic)

KUCHING: Sarawak will extend the period of reduction in the number of flights allowed into the state until Aug 31 to curb the spread of Covid-19.

This follows the previous decision by the Sarawak disaster management committee to restrict the number of flights to the state for the period Aug 1 to 14 after a spike in Covid-19 cases in the state last month.

Committee chairman Douglas Uggah Embas was previously reported to have said that the frequency of Malaysia Airlines’ flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sibu had been reduced from three times a week to once a week while the Kuala Lumpur-Bintulu flights were cut to twice a week from three times.

AirAsia’s weekly flights between Kuala Lumpur and Kuching were reduced from 56 to 14; between Kuching and Bintulu, from 21 to seven; between Kuching and Miri, from 21 to seven; between Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, from 14 to seven; and between Kuching and Johor, 14 to seven.

The low-cost carrier’s weekly flights between Sibu and Kuala Lumpur were reduced from 21 to four; between Sibu and Johor Bahru, from seven to four; between Bintulu and Kuala Lumpur, from 14 to seven; between Miri and Kuala Lumpur, from 21 to seven; between Miri and Kota Kinabalu, from 10 to five; and between Miri and Johor Bahru, from three to two.

Meanwhile, at a press conference today, Uggah said Malaysians from the peninsula, Sabah and Labuan traveling to Sarawak must undergo compulsory Covid-19 screening at the state’s main entry point.

“However, for those traveling to Bintulu, Miri and Sibu, the screening will be conducted at their respective hotels. This order will be in effect until Aug 31,” he said.

He added that those whose final destinations were in rural areas and located far away from government health clinics, would have to undergo their quarantine at designated hotels.

“They are free to go once their results are negative. This order will also be extended until Aug 31.

“However, those under essential services or with letters from their heads of department and employers can apply to the committee online (via EnterSarawak) to be exempted from the quarantine order,” he said.

Earlier, Uggah said Samarahan and Lundu had been declared as Covid-19 green zones after having no positive cases for at least 14 days.

Thirty-eight districts in the state are now classified as green zones (no case) and two (Kuching and Serian) are classified as yellow zones (one to 40 cases).

Sarawak has recorded a total of 681 Covid-19 cases as of today. The number of deaths in the state remains at 19. - FMT