Sarawak extends entry restriction on visitors from Sabah, peninsula

KUCHING: Sarawak will extend its current entry restrictions on travellers from Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia to Nov 15 in view of the ongoing Covid-19 surge, says Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah (pic).

The Deputy Chief Minister said the decision was made by the state Cabinet at its meeting on Thursday (Oct 15).

"Looking at the three-digit increase in cases in Sabah yesterday (Oct 14) and the high number in the peninsula, the Cabinet feels that the entry SOPs (standard operating procedures) into Sarawak that we are implementing from Oct 4 to 18 should be extended to Nov 15.

"We are taking this step to protect Sarawak and curb the spread of cases from outside the state," he said at the state disaster management committee's briefing here on Thursday (Oct 15).

The restrictions include a ban on entry for non-Sarawakians from Sabah and Labuan, while all arrivals from Peninsular Malaysia must undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine at designated quarantine centres.

The mandatory quarantine requirement for arrivals from overseas remains in place.

Uggah also expressed concern that two of the four new Covid-19 cases reported in Sarawak on Thursday involved Indonesians found to have entered the state illegally on Oct 12.

He said they went for Covid-19 screening on Wednesday (Oct 14) before starting work and returned positive results the same day.

Both are asymptomatic and have been admitted to the Sarawak General Hospital.

"We were informed that they entered through 'jalan tikus' (illegal routes) in Lundu. This is a worrying development.

"We are worried because if they entered Sarawak illegally, they would not have undergone any health screening or the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

"These are important measures to ensure that those entering Sarawak are healthy," Uggah said.

He said border control was being stepped up as announced on Wednesday to curb illegal entry.

"Today the committee met with the relevant agencies to further tighten control at the border," he said.