KUCHING, Oct 29 — The State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) is not imposing an inter-district travel restriction for Kuching although it was declared a Covid-19 red zone on Tuesday.
However, its chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah has advised people from outside Kuching to only visit the district if they had urgent reason to do so and similarly, those in Kuching were urged not to leave the district.
“Similarly, for those in Kuching we hope they will refrain from going to other districts in the state. Stay home stay safe,” he told reporters after visiting Kampung Haji Baki’s enhanced movement control order (EMCO) control room.
The deputy chief minister said SDMC had considered many factors prior to enforcing the EMCO and on a total lockdown which would ban any inter district travel.
“We have also discussed with Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg. The people and the business communities will face a lot of hardships in a total lockdown. So we came to a conclusion to do the EMCO in Kampung Haji Baki,” he said.
“In other areas like the Green Hill area where positive cases had suddenly shot up to 20 yesterday and which is worrying us, we do the Active Case Detection (ACD). Those in the Green Hill cluster, the people are scattered around in the city too.
“But fortunately many of them have came forward to do testings at private hospitals and clinics on their own,” he said.
Uggah had yesterday announced the Green Hill Cluster, the latest of five active clusters in the state. The new cluster has 25 cases as of yesterday.
Kuching is currently the only red zone in Sarawak. The Health Ministry classifies areas with 40 cases or more in a period of two weeks as red zones, those with at least one case in the same period as yellow zones and green zones are those with no cases. — Borneo Post
