Two locations in Sarawak put under EMCO

A two-week Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) will be implemented at two locations in Sarawak starting today.

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the Sri Aman Prison and its staff quarters, and Kampung Serpan Laut in Asajaya will be put under the EMCO until April 21 following a surge in Covid-19 cases.

“The Health Ministry screened 482 individuals at Sri Aman Prison and its staff quarters, where 289 tested positive.

“Of the total who tested positive, 279 were detainees, eight were prison officers and another two were family members of prison officers.

“The Health Ministry confirmed that there was a sharp increase in infections in the locality for seven days, with a high infectivity rate,” he said yesterday.

In Kampung Serpan Laut, Ismail Sabri said five Covid-19 cases were reported.

He said a separate EMCO previously imposed on Kampung Batu Gong in Serian, Sarawak, would be extended until April 23.

The EMCO imposed on the area was supposed to expire tomorrow.

The Health Ministry had screened 485 individuals in the area, with 95 testing positive.

The EMCO at Kampung Lebak Moyoh and Kampung Siasai Tamu in Kota Belud, Sabah, and Kampung Chupak in Serian, Sarawak, would be lifted today as scheduled.

Meanwhile, 92 people were nabbed for flouting the movement restrictions’ standard operating procedures on Tuesday.

Of the total, 88 were slapped with compounds, and the remaining four were remanded.

A total of 43 people were found to have flouted physical distancing rules, with the rest attempting unauthorised interstate travel (21), not scanning using the MySejahtera app upon entering premises (21), not wearing face masks in public places (five) and operating their premises over the permitted time, or without permission (two).

On a related issue, 166,592 overseas returnees were recorded from July 24, 2020 up until Tuesday.

A total of 765 returnees, who arrived via international entry points yesterday, were undergoing mandatory quarantine at designated centres nationwide.

This brought the total number of returnees undergoing quarantine to 7,799.

On another issue, he said 11 out of 1,176 foreign workers who were screened were found positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday.

Ismail Sabri said the human resources minister recorded that 676,384 foreign workers had undergone Covid-19 screening, involving 35,007 employers.

“Out of the number, 10,162 tested positive for Covid-19, while 666,222 tested negative.”