Chap Goh Mei Covid-19 fears

Chinese community asked not to hold social gatherings to prevent surge of infections

KUCHING: Members of the Chinese community in Sarawak have been asked not to hold social gatherings during Chap Goh Mei today (Feb 26) to prevent a surge of Covid-19 cases.

Minister of Local Government and Housing Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian had anticipated that cases could rise should there be gatherings to mark the end of the 15-day Chinese New Year (CNY) celebration.

Sarawak Federation of Chinese Associations (SFCA) president Datuk Richard Wee said it is pertinent for all to comply with standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the authorities to curb the spread of the virus.

“I would repeat my previous appeal and message for the Chinese New Year gatherings for the Chap Goh Mei to prevent what Dr Sim had anticipated from happening.

“We sincerely hope that we do not have the surge that is mentioned by Dr Sim and do not have any of such cluster to emerge,” he said when contacted by The Borneo Post yesterday.

Wee called on everyone to strictly adhere to the SOPs issued by the authorities to break the chain of Covid-19 infections.

He appealed to all to form the habit of practising and upholding be er personal hygiene, as well as for operators of all food and beverage outlets to ensure the best hygiene practices to improve the confidence of their customers.

This included coffee shops and hawker stall operators who should always wear face masks and uphold all safe practices and habits for all, he said.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday night, Dr Sim said, “The last day of CNY, Chap Goh Mei will be another hot bed event for Covid-19 transmission to occur.”

His comment was based on the observations of the Sarawak General Hospital’s Covid-19 response team over a two-week period.

Dr Sim said contact tracing in the past two weeks had indicated that festive gatherings at food and beverage outlets and private residences had contributed to the large number of cases here and in Samarahan.

Prior to the CNY celebration, Wee had called on the Chinese community to strictly comply with the SOPs and guidelines set by the State Disaster Management Commi ee (SDMC).

He said SFCA had postponed indefinitely all activities including its annual CNY reunion dinner, and urged all divisional federations of Chinese associations, as well as all member associations to do the same.

“We will follow the guidelines issued by the SDMC and refrain from house visits, lion dance, and big gatherings as normally practised,” he said on Jan 30.

SDMC then decided that open houses, house-to-house visits, reunion dinners in restaurants and hotels, festive bazaars and celebrations at temples and public places, as well as traditional lion or dragon dances were not allowed.

For the family reunion dinner on the CNY Eve, only family members, limited to only 20 persons, were allowed.

SDMC also limited the celebration to the first day (Feb 12), and a maximum of 20 family members at any one time.

We sincerely hope that we do not have the surge that was mentioned by Dr Sim and do not have any of such cluster to emerge.

Datuk Richard Wee