Sarawak doesn’t need MCO, targeted lockdowns better, say experts

 

Shoppers practise physical distancing at a supermarket in Kuching.

PETALING JAYA: Two doctors’ groups and an MP say there is no need for Sarawak to go under a full movement control order (MCO) as restrictions currently imposed there were sufficient.

Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM) said the barring of interstate and interdistrict travel as well as the implementation of targeted lockdowns there should suffice.

FPMPAM president Dr Steven Chow said it was more “logical” to continue what Sarawak has been doing and keep the state relatively open, rather than forcing a full MCO which would leave heavier economic effects.

“Localise lockdowns around epicentres of outbreaks, from longhouses to Sibu. Impose enhanced MCOs or even curfew if necessary. That’s what the peninsula should have done rather than the blanket MCO,” he told FMT.

MMA president Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said Covid-19 cases in Sarawak are being monitored while areas under lockdown are also under close watch by the authorities.

Aside from tightened security at its borders, he said, there were some restrictions imposed there that were stricter than those enforced in the peninsula, such as its policy on interdistrict travel.

However, he warned that certain challenges would arise in terms of healthcare access in rural areas, adding that some localities affected by Covid-19 are inaccessible by road.

“Its healthcare human resources – doctors, nurses, specialists and all allied health staff – by land size is also very low compared to the peninsula and therefore needs improvement.

“The Tuai Rumah or village heads in some of these villages play an important part in communicating the importance of frequent handwashing/hand sanitising, physical distancing and the wearing of face masks in preventing further infections in the community,” he told FMT.

Sarawak is the only state not under a full MCO. However, it saw a surge in Covid-19 cases in the past week, recording triple-digit infections 11 days in a row from Jan 28 to Feb 7.

Sibu divisional disaster management coordinator Dr Annuar Rapaee said the spread of Covid-19 in Sibu has reached a worrying level and was no longer confined to longhouses.

Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii, who is a medical doctor by profession, said a statewide MCO was unnecessary although targeted MCOs could be considered by the state government.

“Just block interdistrict travel and make it compulsory for those travelling out of red zones to get tested first before making any necessary interdistrict travel,” he told FMT.

Yii also said the MCO on certain states in the peninsula, like Kelantan and Perlis, was unnecessary unless data on the infectivity rate there proved otherwise.

“If local transmissions are controlled, you don’t need an MCO. You just need to control interstate travel,” he said. - FMT