KUCHING, March 28 — The detainees at the Semuja Immigration Detention Centre in the Serian district made up 45 per cent of the total 426 Covid-19 cases registered in Sarawak today, the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said.
He said 191 detainees tested positive for Covid-19 after the second swab tests were carried out at the centre.
He said this brought the number of positive cases at the centre to 452, with 433 of these among detainees while the rest were Immigration personnel.
He added that 194 other detainees and 82 Immigration personnel were Covid-19 negative.
“The high number of positive cases registered at the centre shows that physical distancing was not practised.
“This is because the centre is overcrowded where 75 detainees were placed in one block,” Uggah told reporters when updating the media on the Covid-19 pandemic situation here.
“This is where the virus can easily spread,” he said.
Uggah, who is also the deputy chief minister, said Serian district contributed 203 of the positive cases today, followed by Bintulu with 72, Kuching (41), Sibu (31), Miri (21), Samarahan (13), Julau (11), Song (8), Kapit (6), three each in Pakan, Sarikei, Sebauh and Sri Aman, two each in Kanowit and Meradong and one each in Betong, Limbang, Mukah and Selangau.
He said the cumulative cases in Sarawak was now at 15,869.
Uggah said a total of 205 recoveries were registered and have been discharged from the government hospitals, making the total recoveries to 12,834 or 80.87 per cent of the cumulative positive cases in the state.
The state also registered two deaths today, making the total to 103.
He added that the two, aged 77 and 63, were admitted to the Sibu Hospital after they were found to have symptoms of Covid-19.
