Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
BINTULU: The new Covid-19 cases recorded here should serve as a serious warning to the people to strictly comply with the government’s standard operating procedures in their daily affairs, said Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
He felt that the public should not leave their residences unnecessarily except for work or other unavoidable reasons in order to safeguard themselves and their family members, adding that mass gatherings should be reduced.
“It is understandable that most people have gone back to their workplaces and many activities are no longer as limited compared to during the movement control order period.
“But be wary that this could also present a higher risk of person-to-person transmissions,” he warned in a statement, adding that if the viral threat was not fully under control, the consequences would be devastating.
Bintulu turned into a Covid-19 yellow zone from a green zone last week after a student was tested positive for the virus after she returned home from a higher learning institution in Mukah. Green zones are districts where there have been no Covid-19 cases detected in at least 14 days.
Yesterday, the state disaster management committee (SDMC) announced a new family cluster involving the student and four of her family members. The state Health Department is now actively tracing close contacts of the infected.
Tiong also said he hoped that the people would continue to keep mass gatherings like group worship to a minimum and reduce contact.
He said judging from the current situation, the Covid-19 virus had not entirely subsided yet.
“We must continue to be vigilant and not let the past efforts go to waste and lead to more movement restrictions again. Such a development will bring a terrible impact to the entire economy,” he said in a statement.
Tiong also reminded people living in the green zone not to be complacent or they would easily turn it to yellow or red as Covid-19 remains a highly infectious virus.
He stressed that everyone should be cooperative with efforts to fight the pandemic and not let their guard down.
Meanwhile, Tiong said the virus testing laboratory set up here through the Covid-19 Pandemic Relief Fund was currently in the trial run stage, with several technical details to be ironed out.
He believed the lab would be operational as soon as the issues are resolved.
The total number of Covid-19 cases recorded in the state since March 13 had risen to 561 with the detection of the new cluster.
Sarawak’s death toll remains at 17.