A team from the committee is now doing a study on the various additional economic sectors which potentially can be allowed to operate in the green zones. File Photo
KUCHING: The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) is looking into allowing more economic sectors to resume in green zones, said its chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
He said a team from the committee is now conducting a study on the various additional economic sectors which potentially can be allowed to operate in the green zones to bolster the impact of the Movement Control Order (MCO) on the state’s economy.
“We are looking at the green areas. About 73 per cent of Sarawak are in the green areas although one district yesterday turned from green to yellow (Limbang), but we are still about 73 per cent green.
“We have a team now seriously studying what economic activities can operate in green areas because we realise that the MCO is giving a negative impact on the economy, affecting people’s lives.
“So the committee will come up with a decision on which is most appropriate for Sarawak,” the deputy chief minister told reporters during a site visit to an Active Case Detection (ACD) location in Kota Samarahan today.
He was commenting on an announcement by International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali yesterday allowing economic sectors which had been approved to operate during the MCO, to operate fully starting today.
Mohamed Azmin however said that the companies must adhere to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) which had been set according to their respective sectors.
Companies which had been allowed to operate during MCO previously need not reapply for the ministry’s permission to operate, he added.
“This initiative will help to boost the recovery of the supply chain for products and services to meet local and international demand, and will have a positive impact on the companies’ revenues, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.
“While the government has eased up on the restrictions, the people and industry owners must adapt to the ‘new normal’ by ensuring social distancing at the workplace, maintaining good personal hygiene and complying with the health control guidelines,” said Mohamed Azmin.