KUCHING, July 30 — The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) today said all visiting Malaysians from other parts of the country will be required to wear wristbands upon entering the state, effective August 1, for the purposes of Covid-19 tracing.
SDMC chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said they must wear the wristbands for the entire duration of their stay in the state.
He said they will also be required to go to a government clinic on the day of their arrival or the following day for swabs to be taken for Covid-19 tests.
“If their destinations are in the interior areas, that is, outside Kuching, Sibu or Miri, they will be quarantined and swabs for Covid-19 tests will be taken from them on the second day,” Uggah said during a media briefing.
He said they will be released if the outcome of the test came back negative for Covid-19.
Uggah, who is also the deputy chief minister, said Sarawakians who return from Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah and Labuan are also required to wear the wristbands and allowed to go home.
He added they will also be asked to have their swabs taken at a government clinic on the day of arrival or the following day.
Uggah said the requirements were decided by the SDMC at its meeting today.
He also said petrol stations and factories are exempted from the 6am-to-10pm ruling for businesses operating in Zone One, covering the Kuching, Samarahan and Serian divisions, from August 1 to 14.
“But the owners of petrol stations and factories must notify the SDMC that they are operating beyond the 10pm ruling,” he said.
The ruling was imposed following a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in the Kuching, Samarahan and Serian divisions — grouped together under Zone One — over the last 14 days.
Uggah also warned that the police will take action against anyone who fails to wear a face mask in public places, from August 1.
“All are required to wear face masks while in public places, such as supermarkets, shopping complexes, public transport, wet markets and eateries,” he said.
He said action will also be taken against the owners of these premises if any of their customers do not wear a face mask.
