A policeman and a soldier stationed at a roadblock near the Old Courthouse in this file photo.
KUCHING: The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) has reaffirmed the fact that the police in Sarawak are still conducting roadblocks and that inter-district travel was still not allowed until further notice.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who denied rumours saying that police were no longer conducting roadblocks, said the rumors which have been making rounds in social media since yesterday were untrue, adding that inter-district travel restrictions still remain in force throughout the state.
“For Sarawak, inter-district travel restriction still remains in place. The police will continue to carry out roadblocks at district borders, and those who need to travel between districts would still need to apply for police permits,” he said in a press conference today.
Uggah said the police with the help of the armed forces will conduct strict patrols around the city areas to ensure citizens and those operating economic activities abide by the SOP, he said.
“In regards to the issue being spread in social media where all roadblocks in Sarawak have been closed since 6pm on May 8, the police and the armed forces will continue to patrol the streets in city areas,” he said.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Aidi Ismail when contacted said inter-district travel in the state was still restricted, stressing that a permit from the police was still needed.
He also said that roadblocks in the city will stay in place as usual till further notice.
Later, Uggah told reporters that the reason why Sarawak would maintain its inter-district travel restriction was to minimise the movement of people from red zones travelling to green and yellow zones, and thus eventually cut the chain of transmission.
“If a district does not have any positive cases for the last 14 days, then it will be classified as a green zone area,” he said.
He stressed that it was pertinent that the transmission of Covid-19 in Sarawak be kept under control, and that the situation seems to be manageable at the moment.
“We want it to continue this way until one day we can win the war against Covid-19,” he said.
Uggah also praised the public awareness for adhering to the restrictions in place.
“By staying home, the chances of getting infected is low and keeping social distancing is a proven way of cutting the chain of infections,” he said.
Pointing out the operations of SDMC as an example, Uggah said video-conferencing was the chosen platform to coordinate the responses of the state in managing Covid-19 outbreak with stakeholders during this time.
He added that online shopping was also one of the new norms that people experienced during this time.
“While we are living in certain restricted conditions, we still can enjoy a certain quality of life,” said Uggah.