KUCHING, Oct 14 — The Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (JPBNS) at its meeting today decided to further tighten control at the state’s land border with Sabah in view of the spike in Covid-19 cases in that neighbouring state.
Movements to Sabah through the border at Merapok, the northernmost town in Sarawak, and Sindumin, the southernmost town in Sabah, needed to be further tightened, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is also the JPBNS chairman.
“The security agencies will increase their manpower and tighten control along the rat trails, while control and patrols will also be tightened and more frequent at the border with Kalimantan (in Indonesia),” he said at a news conference, here.
Asked whether he Sarawak government would assist in combating the Covid-19 outbreak in Sabah, he said the situation in the neighbouring state was being overseen by the National Security Council (MKN) and the state government would assist if requested to do so by MKN.
“However, we too need to be always prepared for the possibility of Covid-19 spreading again in Sarawak,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Health Department deputy director, Dr Rosmawati Ariffin who was also present at the news conference, said 19 of the department’s personnel were sent to Sabah two weeks ago to help tackle the outbreak there. — Bernama
