File photo shows an express boat bound for Kuching, docked at Sibu Express Boat Terminal.
SIBU: Express boats operating the Sibu-Sarikei-Tanjong Manis-Kuching sector have temporarily stopped operation since yesterday until further notice, said Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB) Sibu (Region II) assistant controller Hatta Morshidi.
He informed that the operators made the decision after taking into view that Sibu is now a Covid-19 red zone.
For the record, the daily departure time for the express boat from Sibu is 11.30am, while from Kuching it departs at 8.30am.
“As for Sibu-Song-Kapit sector, the express boat is operating as usual unless being instructed to do so by the relevant authority,” Hatta told The Borneo Post when contacted yesterday.
Previously, the Kuching-Sibu-Kuching express boat service was suspended from Nov 4 till 30, after Kuching District was declared as Covid-19 red zone then and earlier from Aug 1 to 14 due to inter-zone travel restrictions in Sarawak, following a spike in Covid-19 cases.
Meanwhile, 387 passengers passed through the Sibu Express Boat Terminal on Saturday, comprising 175 arrivals and 212 departures.
The RC Pontoon Wharf (Pulau Babi), located just a stone’s throw away from the terminal and caters to those heading to downriver destinations such as Daro, Mupong, Passin and Pulau Bruit, recorded 184 passengers, comprising 95 arrivals and 89 departures.
The RC Pontoon Wharf (Temple Street) handled 297 passengers on the same day, of which 202 were arrivals and 95 departures.