Kapit, Song districts in Sarawak under MCO from Feb 2 to 15

SIBU: The Kapit and Song districts in Sarawak have been placed under a movement control order.

The state disaster management committee in a statement on Sunday (Jan 31) said the MCO for the two districts would be in place from Feb 2 to 15.

The Sibu division, which includes Sibu, Selangau and Kanowit, were earlier placed under MCO from Jan 16 to Feb 14 with due to cases under the Pasai cluster which started on Jan 8.

The state recorded 135 new cases and another death, bringing the death toll to 38.

"The death involved a 73-year old man from Sibu. He was found unconscious at home on Jan 29 and pronounced dead by Sibu Hospital emergency department staff," it said.

The victim had a fever and was coughing for three days and also suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes and dyslipidemia.

Of the 135 new cases, Sibu had the most with 47 followed by Miri (32), Bintulu (15), Bau (11), Subis (seven), Song (seven), Kuching (five), Kanowit (four), Lundu (three), Serian (two), Sri Aman (one) and Sebauh (one).

A breakdown of the new cases in Sibu showed that the Pasai cluster remained active with 17 cases, while 22 cases were from case detection, five cases from symptomatic screenings and three cases involved hospital staff.

In the past 24 hours, a new cluster, the Jalan Pangiran cluster in Matu district, was also identified.

"This workplace cluster involved an administrative officer in Jalan Pengiran, Matu.

"The index case of Case 3,218 is a local man who on Jan 28 went to Sibu on a social visit. Seven members of his family later contracted the disease from him," it added.

The committee said a total of 186 cases had recovered and discharged from hospitals statewide while another 1,703 cases are still being treated at low-risk quarantine centres and hospitals.