Roadblocks set up in Sibu due to CMCO, says city police chief

ACP Stanley checking on a motorist at Paradom-Sibu roundabout.

SIBU: The police have started setting up roadblocks around the city to enforce the conditional movement control order.

The roadblocks are at the Sibu-Paradom roundabout, Mile 12 of the Sibu-Bintulu Road and at the junction of Pasai Siong where the Pasai cluster had been identified.

The Sibu-Paradom roundabout is the gateway to Sarikei, Bintangor and southern Sarawak which includes Sri Aman, Serian and Kuching while Mile 12 of the Sibu-Bintulu leads to Bintulu and Miri.

Sibu has been classified as a Covid-19 red zone with 93 new cases since Jan 8, and 83 of the 93 Covid-19 cases here are from the Pasai cluster.

Speaking while supervising the Sibu-Paradom roundabout on Wednesday (Jan 13), Sibu OCPD Asst Comm Stanley Jonathan Ringgit said that any motorists caught trying to travel out of town without a permit will be first advised before any compound is issued.

"For those caught without the travel permit, we will give advice for the first two days, and after that we will start taking appropriate action," he said.

He added that the roadblocks began operating at midnight on Wednesday and will have three shifts and will be manned by four policemen and eight soldiers.

All roadblocks will be in force for the next two weeks.

Under Regulation 7 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures Within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020, those caught travelling inter-district without a permit can be fined RM1,000.

On travel permits, he said that many people have came to police station to apply for it.

"We are issuing travel permit for travelling out of Sibu. The form is also available at all police stations, not only here," he said.