Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas – File photo
KUCHING: A new Covid-19 cluster involving foreign workers has been identified after an Indonesian was tested positive for the virus, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee announced today.
Its chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas told a press conference here that the new patient was found through contact tracing in connection with a foreign worker who was confirmed positive with the virus on Sunday.
He said the Health Department will conduct active case detection operations at a construction site at Jalan Keretapi and at a workers’ quarters at Sungai Moyan.
Uggah, who is also a deputy chief minister, sent out a strong warning to employers not to hire illegal workers.
“Illegal workers could be entering the state through illegal entry points. The police, Immigration and state security council will monitor the situation more aggressively. This (illegal entry of foreign workers) is still a suspicion but it can be a source of problems for us,” he said.
“We (The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC)) are disappointed that, although we have no clear evidence yet, have detected some illegal immigrants crossing the state borders through illegal entry points.
“This is still a suspicion, but I would like to warn employers that the police, Immigration and state security council will monitor the situation more aggressively because this (illegal entry of foreign workers) can be a source of problems for us,” he said during SDMC daily Covid-19 update press conference here today.
This made today’s positive case the second one from the foreign worker cluster, and the 556th positive case for the state to date.
In the past, the Conference cluster, Sri Petaling tabligh cluster and the Italy cluster were among the major clusters in the state as declared by SDMC, with several smaller and unspecified clusters.
Meanwhile, Uggah said 64 new persons-under-investigation (PUI) cases have been reported today, and no new recovery and discharge cases have been reported.
Meanwhile, 14 active cases are being treated in hospitals where 13 are at the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) and one at Bintulu Hospital, he added.
Uggah said SDMC recorded 196 new persons-under-surveillance (PUS) cases today, with a total of 2,060 PUS cases being quarantined in 38 hotels across the state.
A total of 758 of them are in Kuching, 578 in Miri, 183 Bintulu, 23 Limbang and 518 Sibu.