KOTA KINABALU, March 29 — The Sabah government granted special permission to 23 Malaysian citizens to enter the state through Tawau’s Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security (CIQS) Complex.
State Secretary Datuk Safar Untong in a statement today said the special permission decided in a meeting by the Sabah Covid-19 Command Centre was for 12 participants of a tabligh programme in Sulawesi, Indonesia, as well as 11 other members of the public.
“Of the total, 21 are from Sabah and two are from other states. However, only 18 people arrived in Tawau today by boat from Pulau Nunukan,” he said.
Safar said all of them were placed at the Tawau District Quarantine Centre for a 14-day isolation period as soon as they arrived at the jetty.
According to him, the five other individuals, comprising three adults and two children, decided to stay back in Nunukan, Indonesia, until the movement control order (MCO) is lifted.
Meanwhile, Safar said the Sabah government had required all business premises including supermarkets and food production factories which were still operating throughout the state to carry out the disinfection process beginning today.
He said this was an extension to the local authority’s directive on March 18 for all business premises to do so in an effort to curb the Covid-19 outbreak.
“Business premises should also practise the highest standards of hygiene and have strict monitoring measures in place,” he said.
He said business premises and factories where Covid-19 positive cases were discovered should also shut down operations immediately and carry out disinfection.
Safar said the Sabah government was also concerned about overcrowding at several supermarkets and public markets in Sabah during the MCO such as in Tawau, which went viral on social media yesterday.
Commenting on the matter, he said the Sabah government had directed the police to tighten enforcement and for the local authorities to intensify monitoring at these premises to avoid such instances again. — Bernama
