MCO in Sibu, CMCO across S’wak extended

KUCHING: The Movement Control Order (MCO) in Sibu Division which was due to end tomorrow will be extended to Feb 14, said Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.

He said the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) for all other divisions in the state, which was due to end Jan 31, will also be extended to Feb 14.

“This decision is in view that positive Covid-19 cases in Sarawak are still high and the number of green zones is declining.

“To date, there are only 11 green zones out of 40 districts remaining. This shows that the Covid-19 situation in Sarawak is not under control yet,” the deputy chief minister told a press conference when updating on the state’s Covid-19 situation, here yesterday.

The MCO in Sibu Division, involving the districts of Sibu, Kanowit and Selangau, was enforced on Jan 16 while the CMCO for the rest of Sarawak began on Jan 18.

Sibu Division continues to record a majority of the state’s new Covid-19 cases, most of which are linked to the Pasai Cluster which was declared on Jan 9 after 38 cases were detected including the cluster’s index case who was found positive on Jan 7.

Meanwhile, Uggah said Sarawak recorded a significant drop in new infections yesterday with 70 cases.

He said a large number of the new cases was recorded in Sibu (34) followed by Dalat (10), Bintulu (9), Kanowit (7), Betong (4), Miri (2), Serian (2), Kuching (1) and Bau (1).

“The cumulative number of positive cases in the state has now increased 3,774,” he said.

He also informed of a new Covid19 fatality which was recorded in Sibu District involving a 74-yearold Sarawakian man who sought treatment at Sibu Hospital on Jan 17 after having trouble breathing.

“His Covid-19 test screening was positive. His health deteriorated and he passed away on Jan 26. The case had a history of comorbidity such as gout,” he said.

The latest death brought the state’s cumulative Covid-19 fatalities to 34.

Adding on, Uggah said the Pasai Cluster continued to rake up the most number of positive cases among all other active clusters in the state with 26 new infections detected in Sibu yesterday.

“Other cases linked to the cluster were recorded in Kanowit (7), Dalat (6), Betong (4), and Bintulu (2),” he added.

He said the Rakut Cluster in Miri also registered an increase in positive cases with five recorded in Bintulu and one in Miri.

“Serian also registered two local infections which were detected through active contact screening to a positive Covid-19 case involving a new cluster dubbed the Bedayan Cluster,” he said.

Local infection cases not linked to any active clusters in the state were recorded in Sibu (8), Dalat (4), Bintulu (2), Miri (1) and Bau (1).

Kuching’s sole new case yesterday was an imported infection involving an individual who returned from Kedah.

Meanwhile, Uggah said 143 Covid-19 patients had recovered and were discharged yesterday, of which 102 were from Sibu Hospital, 28 from Miri Hospital, eight from Bintulu Hospital and five from Sarawak General Hospital (SGH).

This brought the cumulative number of recoveries in the state to 2,101 or 55.67 per cent out of the overall cases, he added.

He also said 1,632 patients were still being treated in Sibu Hospital (1,036), Miri Hospital (278), SGH (165), Bintulu Hospital (98), Kapit Hospital (40), Sarikei Hospital (14) and Limbang Hospital (1).

“There are seven Covid-19 cases being treated at the Intensive Care Unit at Sibu Hospital (4), SGH (2) and Miri Hospital (1) while three patients at Sibu Hospital, and two at Miri Hospital and SGH respectively are intubated,” he added.

A total of 141 new person-underinvestigation (PUI) cases were also reported yesterday with 34 of them pending lab test results.