Sarawak to tighten travel restrictions from Monday

KUCHING: Sarawak will enforce tighter restrictions on travel across zones and districts from Monday to curb the latest spike in Covid-19 cases in the state.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said stricter conditions were necessary after the state disaster management committee found that 505 Covid-19 cases and eight clusters recorded since this January were caused by interzone travel.

He said police had been instructed to issue inter-zone travel permits only to those listed in the approved essential services categories, which are public transport, drivers delivering food and daily necessities and emergencies.

“Previously, the definition of essential services was very wide and confusing. Now we have come up with a clearer definition,” he said at a briefing yesterday.

Under the current conditional movement control order in Sarawak, Kuching, Samarahan and Serian divisions are grouped in the Kuching zone while the Sarikei zone consists of Sarikei and Betong divisions.