KUCHING, May 1 — Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah today said that he will consult Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg on the implementation of the conditional movement control order (MCO) in the state.
Uggah said he has called the chief minister’s private secretary to set up an appointment.
“We need to deliberate on the conditional MCO. Once we make a decision that favour’s people’s wellbeing and the state’s economy, then we will make an announcement,” he told reporters at the Kuching International Airport where he welcomed the first batch of 287 Sarawak students returning from Peninsular Malaysia.
“I need to discuss with the chief minister first before I can comment,” he told reporters asked to comment on the announcement by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin this morning that almost all economic sectors and businesses would be allowed to reopen subject to strict conditions.
Meanwhile, Uggah, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister, on the returning students said: “For those who have not been quarantined in Peninsular Malaysia, they will have to undergo self-quarantine.”
He said for the students who have been quarantined in Peninsular Malaysia, it has been decided that if their homes are in red or yellow zones in Sarawak, they will be asked to wear wristbands.
He said the wristbands will enable the authorities to monitor their movements.
He said on the seventh day, the health teams will take swabs from them for Covid-19 tests.
“And for those who are heading to the green zones where their houses are located, they will have to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine period as persons-under-surveillance (PUS) and will be put in PUS centres in Kuching, regardless of whether or not they have undergone self-quarantine in Peninsular Malaysia,” he explained.
He said on the 10th day, the health teams will take swabs from them for Covid-19 tests.
“If they test positive for Covid-19, they will have to go for treatment in government hospitals and if they are tested negative, then they will be allowed to go home,” he said.
He said SDMC needs to impose strict conditions on the students returning to the green zones as it wants the 29 green zones in the state to remain free of Covid-19 infection.
He said all Sarawakian students returning from Indonesia and other countries will have to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine at their points of arrivals.
“We need to be strict on this as we have cases where our students who returned from Indonesia were tested positive with the virus,” he said.
