Soo: Leave nothing to chance in fight against Covid-19

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KUCHING: The state government should leave nothing to chance and must seal off all borders to contain and prevent the spread of Covid-19, says Sarawak People fs Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) president Lina Soo.

While lauding the government fs order to close all border posts in Sarawak, she is horrified to learn that the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complexes (CIQs) regulating border control between Brunei and Kalimantan will continue to stay open.

“Nothing is mentioned about the Sindumin CIQ bordering Sabah and Sarawak,” she said in a statement received here yesterday.

Soo said Brunei and Sabah both have positive Covid-19 cases, and any slip through would be dire for all territories,  especially when Serian, Miri and Limbang have been identified as three of seven Covid-19 hotspots in Sarawak, where cross-border travel takes place.

“Even though there is no reported case in Kalimantan, it is better to err on the side of caution, as Indonesia is known to have insufficient testing kits and personal protection equipment (PPE).

“Indonesia now has the highest Covid-10 deaths in Southeast Asia with more than 30 casualties and registering the highest fatality rate of 8.6 per cent, according to The Jakarta Post,” she said.

She urged the state government to close all borders between Sarawak and Indonesia, as this is a life-and-death situation.

She added that Sarawak fs rural population was very vulnerable, and already suffering from the economic fallout, finding it difficult to put food on the table and paying household bills.