KUCHING: The public is permitted to be out from 7am to 10pm, in line with the operating hours for businesses in Sarawak during the conditional movement control order (CMCO) period.
This was clarified by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas when addressing the confusion of some members of the public on whether there had been changes to the previous time frame of 7am to 7pm during which they were allowed to venture out. He said that the federal standard operating procedures (SOPs) had provided varying time frames for different activities, which Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) felt might have been confusing for Sarawakians.
“So, we have just one time frame of 7am to 10pm. However, unless necessary, stay at home,” he stressed at a SDMC Covid-19 press conference at the old State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building in Petra Jaya yesterday.
He also noted that some shops opened from 8am to 5pm, for example, and not all were open until 10pm as that was not their usual practice.
He shared that he had gone out at around 8pm the previous night and noticed only a few cars on the roads and many shops had already closed.
“In other words, Sarawakians are cooperating and joining the government’s efforts in fighting Covid-19,” said Uggah, who is also SDMC chairman.
Meanwhile, he said that SDMC had decided that for Sarawakians returning from Malaya, Sabah, and Labuan, they had to undergo home quarantine, except for those in Miri Division as many returning there would be continuing on to rural regions such as Bario, Mulu and Long Lama.
“These rural areas do not have Covid-19 screening facilities at the clinics, so they have to undergo quarantine at quarantine centres for their samples to be taken.
“If their sample results are negative, then they will be allowed to return home,” he said.
