Sarawak to impose 14-day stay-home notice on all inbound travellers

KUCHING: All foreign and domestic visitors coming into Sarawak will be issued a 14-day stay-home notice as the state embarks on its latest control measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. 

This measure, which takes effect on Wednesday (Mar 18), also applies to Sarawak residents returning to the state, as well as long-term and short-term pass holders.

Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg said on Monday that the relevant agencies will monitor the stay-home notice holders through random visits, phone calls and via other applications. 

Explore: Real-time interactive map of all the confirmed cases reported around the world

“Exemptions shall only be given by the State Health Department to those who are required to travel under special circumstances (official and business duties),” he said.

He added that all Sarawak government official functions and public functions involving more than 50 people should be cancelled or postponed until further notice.

All childcare centres, kindergartens and religious schools in Sarawak have also been instructed to close for two weeks from Tuesday. 

“Institutions of higher education, both government and private, are to defer their new academic session by two weeks, effective tomorrow. All schools are ordered to extend their school holidays for another week (until Mar 29),” Abang Johari said.

READ: ‘Mammoth task’: Malaysia conducts mass COVID-19 screenings for participants of KL mosque gathering

Public sports facilities including swimming pools, stadiums and gymnasiums have also been directed to close until further notice.

Abang Johari said that in the last three days, Sarawak recorded 34 positive cases of COVID-19. Of those, 29 were imported cases.

Malaysia on Sunday reported 190 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 428 and making it the worst-hit Southeast Asian country to date. 

A total of 243 cases have been linked to a religious gathering with nine cases critically ill in intensive care, the health ministry said.

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