No travel restriction yet in and out of Kuching - Uggah

KUCHING, Oct 29 -- No travel restriction is being imposed between Kuching and other districts in Sarawak as of now despite the state capital city has been declared as COVID-19 red zone area since Tuesday.

However, Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, advised people from outside the city not to visit the district if they had no pressing or urgent reason to do so.

"Similarly, we hope those in Kuching will refrain themselves from going to other districts in the state. Stay home, stay safe," he told reporters after visiting the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) operation room at Kampung Haji Baki here today.

He said the SDMC had to consider a lot of factors prior to enforcing the EMCO and not resorting to a total lockdown which would have banned all inter-district movement.

"We have also discussed with Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg who has expressed concerns that the people and the business community will face a lot of hardships in a total lockdown," he said.

Uggah said at the moment the SDMC had decided to only impose the EMCO in Kampung Haji Baki while in other areas like the Green Hill where positive cases had suddenly shot up to 20 yesterday, Active Case Detection (ACD) had been carried out.

In addition, he said the committee had issued stop operation order to entertainment outlets like bars, lounges, karaoke or pubs, public and private gymnasium while any gathering events in the district were limited to 200 people only.

On the EMCO in Kampung Haji Baki which started yesterday until Nov 10,  he said it was the first to be done in the state because of the increasing positive cases.

He said there are 4,196 people from 627 households in Kampung Haji Baki.

"The Health Department expects to test around 600 people but 845 have turned up yesterday. This shows they (the villagers) understand what we are doing which is not to cause hardships but to control further spread of the virus," he added.

-- BERNAMA