SARAWAK will not follow a federal decision to allow companies operating at half capacity under the first, second and third movement-control order (MCO) phases to run at full capacity from today onwards.

Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah said the restrictions put in place by the state’s Disaster Management Committee on economic activities in the state still remain.

Uggah, who chairs the committee, said Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg, who attended the National Security Council meeting in Putrajaya yesterday, had informed Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin that Sarawak will make its own decision “based on the situation in the state”.

“Local rules shall apply. The state government has been given the flexibility to decide on the economic activities or projects allowed to operate in the state,” Uggah told reporters today.

In Sarawak, one of the industries that had approval to operate at 100% capacity was in a Covid-19 red zone.

“We (therefore) will (have to) review all the projects approved by the International Trade and Industry Ministry in Sarawak to see if they are appropriate in the state’s current environment,” Uggah said after witnessing a Covid-19 detection exercise by the state Health Department at two residential areas in Samarahan.

Miti yesterday announced further relaxations of the MCO by allowing sectors that had been operating under the MCO since March 18 at half capacity, to run at full capacity starting today.

These sectors must still abide by the ministry’s standard operating procedure (SOP) on social distancing, temperature checks and hygiene at the workplace.

Uggah said while Sarawak will refer to Miti’s SOP on the reopening of any industry, the state will make its own decision on whether to allow industries and companies to operate at 100% capacity.

“The committee will be the final authority to approve any changes to the mode of operations in Sarawak.

“We understand the situation in the state and we want to make sure whatever decision we make, the lives of Sarawakians will always be prioritised.”

Uggah also said a team, headed by State Secretary Jaul Samion, has been tasked to study the situation in the state’s green zones and determine which economic activities be allowed to resume operations. – April 29, 2020.