SRDC advises against return to longhouses

SIBU: Longhouse residents working in towns have been urged to refrain from returning to their longhouses on weekends and the coming Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays after more Covid-19 cases were reported among the longhouse community.

In making the call yesterday, Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) chairman Sempurai Petrus Ngelai, said out of the 28 cases reported in SRDC’s areas on Friday, 19 were from longhouses and nine from Sibujaya.

“Cases affecting longhouses are worrying, as the transmission can spread rapidly and infect the entire longhouse as well as nearby longhouses because of family relationship and community related activities at longhouses.

“As such, I urge longhouse residents working in towns to refrain from returning to longhouses on weekends and the coming Hari Raya holidays. Please remain at your own house or rented house in town to prevent the spread of infection to longhouses and indirectly create circuit breakers to break the chain of infection at rural areas and longhouses.

“Please use these festive holidays to flatten the curve by staying at home and leave home only when absolutely necessary,” Sempurai said.

Turning to cases in Sibujaya, he appealed to parents to curb the spread by monitoring their children’s whereabouts.