‘Home quarantine for S’wakians returning from other states’

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Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas

KUCHING: Any Sarawakians returning from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Labuan must undergo a 14-day quarantine at home, effective tomorrow (April 20) and they would be monitored by the Health Ministry.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is also State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) chairman, says this would only apply if their first point of arrival is where their home is located.

“If the returnees do not have a house where they arrived at, whether in Kuching, Sibu, Miri, or Bintulu, they will still be placed at one of the existing quarantine centres.

“For example, if someone travelled back from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching but is from Sri Aman, the person will be quarantined in Kuching. This is to cut contact with their local communities,” he told a press conference after the JPBN daily meeting yesterday.

Uggah said Sarawakians who returned from overseas would be quarantined where they arrived, such as in Kuala Lumpur.

“Once they completed their 14-day quarantine in Kuala Lumpur and come back here, they would be issued with a ‘Stay Home Notice’. We will have them under observation for 14 days,” he said.

Meanwhile for those who had to travel inter-district across Sarawak, Uggah said they must first get their permit to travel from the police.

“All inter-district movements whether by land, air or river, require police permits. Therefore, get the permit first before buying tickets to travel,” he said.

Uggah said as at yesterday, there was no additional red zone in Sarawak.

“Two districts, namely Lawas and Matu, have gone from yellow to green, which brings the total of green zones to 26 out of 40 districts in the state. This shows that the situations in these areas are under control and we hope they would remain under control. That is why we have a strict policy of inter-district travel,” he said.