KUCHING: The Health Department will tighten its surveillance at ports throughout the state to effectively detect signs of Covid-19 from sea entry points, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
This move was taken after the Jupiter Cluster was detected in Bintulu where a shipping agent was accused of illegally bringing in an Indonesian crew into the country without going through immigration checks.
“The Health Department in Sarawak will tighten its surveillance at all our ports, and tomorrow will start in Bintulu.
“This is to ensure that cases can be detected early on all fronts. The earlier we detect a case, the sooner we can do contact tracing and the better chance we have at breaking the transmission chain of Covid-19,” he said during a press conference here today.
Uggah, who is Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman, also urged Sarawakians to cooperate with the authorities and enforcement officers so that the state could effectively curb the spread of Covid-19.
“The war is not over yet. We are still struggling (to curb Covid-19), and I hope everyone cooperate and support each other,” he said.
Uggah also revealed that the Immigration Department has taken legal action against the shipping agent involved in the Jupiter Cluster.
According to Uggah, the agent was charged under Section 43 of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for transporting an Indonesian crew member into the country without going through Immigration checks.
The agent has paid the RM4,000 compound and the Indonesian crew member have been deported back to Indonesia and blacklisted by the Immigration Department, said Uggah.