KUCHING: Sarawak will wait for the Health Ministry to decide on making face masks mandatory in schools before making a decision on the matter.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said the state disaster management committee would meet to discuss the matter once the ministry has made its decision.
"We have to assess our situation. At the moment our number (of Covid-19 cases) is still manageable and we hope it will continue to be low," he said.
He said this when met at Tupong assemblyman Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman's Hari Raya open house here on Wednesday (April 26).
Uggah, who chairs the committee, was responding to Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa's proposal for masks to be used in schools again to prevent a Covid-19 surge from the new XBB.1.16 variant, also known as Arcturus.
Dr Zaliha said she would meet Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek this week to discuss the proposal, adding that guidelines would be issued before schools reopen on May 2 as a precautionary measure.
"This is important. If any student gets infected after the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration and travels, it may easily lead to an outbreak at schools," she was reported saying on Wednesday.
Dr Zaliha added that parents need not panic about the spread of the new variant, as those infected usually had mild symptoms, but urged everyone to continue wearing face masks to curb any infection from spreading.
To date, 12 cases of the Arcturus variant have been detected, with six cases each in the Klang Valley and Sarawak.
Meanwhile, Uggah also advised the public to continue taking precautions, including masking up in crowded places and observing personal hygiene.
"If you have flu or fever, please go to the hospital or clinic immediately. Don't treat it as a normal flu, it may be Covid-19," he said.
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