Tan Sri James Masing
KUCHING (Oct 2): Sarawak’s border posts have been closed to Indonesia and Philippines until December 3 this year, said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Masing amid concern over the spread of Covid-19 cases from the two countries.
Masing, who heads a committee on border posts, said the decision to close the entry points, including ports, for the two countries was made two days ago.
He also urged the state disaster management committee (SDMC) to be strict with the standard operating procedure for visitors from Sabah and the peninsula, where Covid-19 cases have surged recently.
“Sarawak has a choice if we want to safeguard our people from Covid-19. It seems a second wave of coronavirus may attack Malaysia,” he said in a statement, adding that sanitisation must be carried out at worksites and plantations which employ foreign workers.
On Sept 30, the Philippines had recorded 2,391 new cases for a total of 311,694 cases, while Indonesia had 4,284 cases and a total of 287,008 cases.
Masing, who is also Infrastructure and Ports Development Minister, cautioned that Sarawak could not afford to let its guard down.
“Now Sarawak is free. But it will not be long, if we are not prepared for the onslaught by land and sea. Please be prepared. It’s better to be safe than sorry when trying to contain Covid-19,” he said.
Yesterday, SDMC announced that Sarawak’s borders had been sealed off to non-Sarawakians from Sabah and Labuan from October 4 to 18.
While Sarawakians can still return from the state and federal territory, they are required to first apply through the ‘enterSarawak’ app and fill the e-health declaration form.
They will also be quarantined at quarantine centres for 14 days and would be required to undergo the RT-PCR Covid-19 test on the second and 10th day of quarantine. The cost for quarantine and tests will continue to be borne by the state government.
Sarawak recorded no new Covid-19 cases yesterday but Sabah had 118 cases. Malaysia’s 260 cases yesterday was the second highest single day tally of Covid-19 cases since June 4 with 277 cases.
There have been 136 deaths from the virus in the country from a total of 11,484 cases.