KUCHING, April 4 — The state government has yet to decide whether to impose a total lockdown on areas in Kuching district with a high number of Covid-19 positive cases, state Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Karim Rahman Hamzah said today.
He said at the moment the situation is still under control, although certain areas in Kuching district have recorded a high number of Covid-19 positive cases.
“The best way to curb the spread of the virus is for us to stay at home,” said Karim, who replaced state Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah in briefing the media on the latest development on Covid-19 in Sarawak today.
Uggah, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister, is among the four state Cabinet Ministers who have been ordered to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine for observation and supervision for Covid-19 infection.
“If there is a need for certain areas or villages to be locked down, then we will look into the matter. But at the moment it has not reached that stage yet,” he said.
According to the statistics provided by SDMC secretariat, Kuching district has a total of 163 Covid-19 positive cases to-date and five deaths while Samarahan district has 35 positive cases and three deaths.
Among the areas in Kuching district, that recorded high number of positive cases are Semariang, Satok and Taman Sri Wangi and Jalan Datuk Musa in Samarahan district.
Karim said residents of Samarahan district are allowed some leeway to travel to Kuching district because of work commitment.
“Many of the residents of Samarahan district are working in Kuching district, including in essential services,” he said.
“On the whole, the coronavirus cases in Kuching and Samarahan districts are highest in Sarawak.
“This is due to geographical factors as both Kuching and Samarahan districts are near to each other,” he said, adding that the movement of people between the two districts is high.
