SARAWAK says it will allow some non-essential services to resume operations in “safe” green zones as the state inches its way to restarting its Covid-19-battered economy.

However, the State Disaster Management Committee said only businesses that do not need to move manpower or support services from coronavirus red zones to green zones will be approved.

Committee chairman Douglas Uggah Embas said the move was to prevent possible transmission of the virus, a pandemic that has killed 84 people in Malaysia, including 14 in Sarawak, so far.

The deputy chief minister in his daily Covid-19 briefing today said nearly 60% of Sarawak is in green zones, areas with no Covid-19 cases, and the state wants to keep it that way.

Most of these areas are small towns in Sarawak’s rural heartland.

“While we consider what economic activities could be resumed, (we are also) keeping an eye on transmissions from the red zones.

“We will not allow those economic activities that require manpower from red zones,” he said.

“(They can use) only local manpower.”

Currently, there are only two districts in the state that are designated as red zones – Kuching, with 249 cases and eight deaths; and Samarahan, which has 64 infections and four deaths.

Red zones are areas with more than 40 cases.

The committee today also agreed to reopen Food Agriculture and Marketing Authority’s farmers’ markets in the green zones.

Uggah said the reopening will depend on the state housing and local government ministry, which manages most of the markets under the jurisdiction of its local and municipal councils.

He said the reopening of the markets was not only for food security but also to enable farmers, livestock breeders and fishermen to sell their produce.

In Kuching, the FAMA farmers’ market at Medan Kubah Ria, is the largest in the state.

Yesterday, the state allowed internet centres in the green zones to resume operation.

There have been no Covid-19 deaths in Sarawak for the past four days, but the number of cases continue to increase.

Today, there were 16 new cases detected compared to only eight yesterday and 15 the day before.

The 16 new cases brings the number of people in Sarawak infected by the virus to 387 since the first on March 13.

Thirteen of the 16 were detected in Kuching, two in Miri and one in Bintulu. – April 16, 2020.