KUCHING: Sarawak has decided to extend the movement control order in Sibu division until mid-February as the number of Covid-19 cases remains high, says Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah (pic).
The Deputy Chief Minister said the MCO in Sibu - which was originally from Jan 16 to 29 - would continue from Jan 30 to Feb 14.
At the same time, he said the conditional MCO in the rest of Sarawak would be extended from Feb 1 to 14.
The conditional MCO had been scheduled to end on Jan 31.
"Positive cases in Sarawak are still high and the number of green districts is decreasing.
"To date, only 11 out of 40 districts are green, indicating that the Covid-19 situation in Sarawak is not under control yet," Uggah said at the state disaster management committee's Covid-19 briefing here on Wednesday (Jan 27).
Sarawak reported 70 new cases on Wednesday and one more death, taking the state's tally of confirmed cases to 3,774 and fatalities to 34.
The latest death is a 74-year-old man who was admitted to Sibu Hospital on Jan 17 for breathing difficulties.
He passed away on Jan 26 after his condition deteriorated. He also had gout.
Of the new cases, Uggah said Sibu reported the highest number at 34, including 26 from the Pasai cluster which stemmed from a funeral at a longhouse on Dec 29-31.
Other districts which recorded new cases were Dalat (10), Bintulu (nine), Kanowit (seven), Betong (four), Miri and Serian (two each) and Kuching and Bau (one each).
Uggah also said two new clusters were identified in Sarawak after active contact tracing of previous cases.
The first is the Indah Riang cluster in Kuching, Samarahan, Simunjan and Saratok, which currently has 16 positive cases including the index case, who was screened for Covid-19 at the Sarawak General Hospital here on Jan 23 after showing symptoms.
The Bedayan cluster involves Serian and Samarahan districts and has 13 positive cases to date. The index case was detected on Jan 20 after being screened at the Serian health clinic.
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