KUCHING: All schools in Sarawak’s red zones have been ordered to close for two weeks starting tomorrow because of the spike in the number of Covid-19 cases.
Chief minister Abang Johari Openg said the decision was made after the spread of Covid-19 among school teachers, students and their families.
“I have instructed all schools in the red zones to be closed for 14 days for the health and safety of all,” he said today, adding that inter-district travel will also be restricted.
Only essential services will be allowed to cross zones with the permission of the police, starting today. Inter-district travel has been identified as one of the main contributors to the spread of the virus.
“After evaluating the situation, I have instructed enforcement agencies to tighten inter-district travel control, instead of imposing a movement control order (MCO), which will burden many industries and destroy the livelihood of many,” he said.
However, Abang Johari said, there was also a need to take drastic measures to cut the chain of infection, with the limited healthcare resources and manpower reaching fatigue level.
He said the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee had decided to implement the targeted-enhanced movement control order (TEMCO), a move which had proven successful in containing the spread of the virus in longhouses, neighbourhoods and workplaces.
The surge of Covid-19 cases in Sarawak started on Jan 8, due to imported cases entering the state.
Since January, a total of 60 cases had involved returnees from overseas (Import A) and 270 cases involving those returning from other states (Import B) .
Eight clusters involving 506 positive cases have also been detected due to inter-district travel (Import C) in the past four months, while other reasons for the surge include a lack of standard operating procedure (SOP) compliance.
Abang Johari said gatherings such as funerals had reported 3,612 positive cases from eight clusters, with 31 deaths.
Meanwhile, family gatherings, birthday parties, farewell parties, festive gatherings, and events such as gotong-royong and cock fighting had resulted in 22 clusters, 1,053 positive cases and five deaths. - FMT
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