KUCHING, March 23 — Residents in areas under lockdown or enhanced movement control order (EMCO) are urged to follow instructions from the authorities and to stay put in their houses.
Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said this is for the residents’ own good and those they may come into contact with, and will help the authorities control the spread of the virus.
“We appeal to the residents under lockdown to follow instructions and to understand why it is necessary. This is how we control the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We know it impacts their daily lives and restricts their freedom — they can’t go to the market, they can’t go to work. But in this situation, we need to make sacrifices for the good of our own selves, our family and the community,” she said.
She said this when met after a visit to monitor the situation at the EMCO Operations Room for Kampung Bintawa Ulu and Kampung Bintawa Tengah, here yesterdeay.
The minister was responding to reports that there had been residents who tried to sneak out of the two villages using alternative routes such as the river.
She said it was because of this that the authorities had teams to patrol the river and other alternative routes to guard against such attempts.
On reports of violence against healthcare workers, who have had rocks thrown at them by some residents, Fatimah said it could be due to stress and frustration over the current situation.
“We hope that it will not repeat because the workers are only doing their jobs.
“Taking swab tests may cause pain or discomfort but it needs to be done and we hope the residents understand this and give their full cooperation to the healthcare workers,” she said, adding that healthcare workers are now escorted by police when they conduct swab tests at houses.
Meanwhile, Fatimah was pleased to note that the food supplies for the area have been sufficient and managed smoothly since the EMCO was implemented on March 16.
“The food supplies have been given for the first week, and today (yesterday) the second round of rations will be distributed accordingly.
“We give the supplies based on per head in the family so that it will be fair,” she said, disclosing that this week’s distribution involves a total of 4,064 packs of food.
The EMCO was imposed on Bintawa Ulu and Bintawa Tengah following a spike in Covid-19 cases. A total of 4,604 residents are affected by the two-week lockdown which is slated to end March 29, depending on the situation.
To-date, there have been 50 positive cases identified in the Bintawa Ulu sub-cluster, which is an extension of the Emperoh Jambu Cluster.
The second swab test to be conducted on the residents is scheduled for March 25. — Borneo Post
