SIBU: Since January this year, 214 longhouses have been placed under movement control restrictions, Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas revealed.
He said the restrictions on 116 longhouses have been lifted after results of the second Covid-19 tests came back negative.
“The remaining 98 longhouses are still under movement control restriction,” he said during a live session on Facebook hosted by Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting today.
“I am also deeply sad that during the fourth wave, 214 longhouses were infected.
“In the third wave, only one longhouse in Lubok Antu was affected and the situation was not so bad.”
Uggah, who is also Agriculture Modernisation, Native Land and Regional Development Minister, said SDMC’s decision to impose movement restrictions on these longhouses was to enable the authorities to conduct active case detection and screening tests on all residents.
“I advise residents of longhouses subject to movement restrictions to be patient and cooperate with the government to break the chain of infection.
“This is for your own good. Once the virus has spread, it is very difficult to curb it,” said the Bukit Saban assemblyman.
Uggah urged residents of longhouses to adhere to standard operating procedures when attending funerals and reminded them that some clusters emerged through attending funerals.
He said the Seruas Cluster in Miri appeared after 72 positive cases were detected from a longhouse after residents attended a funeral from Jan 25 to 27.
The same goes for the Gelong Cluster in Kapit, with 14 individuals infected so far after the cluster was announced by SDMC on Tuesday.
The session was also attended by Sibu Rural District Council chairman Sempurai Petrus Ngelai, Senator Robert Lau Hui Yew, Sarawak Dayak National Union Sibu chairman Chambai Lindong and SMC councilor Augustine Merikan.
