NEW Covid-19 cases in Sarawak fell to its lowest this month with only 286 cases reported in the last 24 hours, according to the state disaster management committee.

In its daily report, the committee said there were 544 cases reported at the start of the month last Thursday, dropping to 440 the next day, 361 on Saturday, 365 on Sunday before showing a slight spike to 424 yesterday and another decline today.

It said the new cluster at Sg Sengkabang in Subis, near Miri, that was reported today and eight other existing clusters contributed to the bulk of the state’s new cases.

The committee said 58 cases were detected in the Sg Sengkabang cluster, a community cluster, involving two longhouses that are already in lockdown under the enhanced movement-control order, the disaster committee stated.

It said 210 residents in the two longhouses and identified close contacts were screened for the virus with 126 returning a negative first test.

The disaster committee said there were 32 new cases reported in the Industri 121 cluster in Kuala Baram, also near Miri, 21 in the Jalan Sg Antu cluster in Sibu, 11 in Jalan Kidurong 5 in Bintulu, seven in the Po Ai cluster in Sri Aman, four in the Lumyin, one in Kevok clusters in Telang Usan, five in Kampung Serikian and Jalan Sagang clusters in Bau, three in Nanga Tada in Kanowit, and one in Sg Kotak in Meradong.

The committee said the number of districts in the red zone in the state is 25, from the 28 at the beginning of the month, three in the orange zone, 11 in yellow and only one in green.

The latest district to drop out of the so-called red zone is Sebauh. It has moved to the orange zone after only recording 33 new cases in a 14-day period.

In the Ministry of Health’s four colour-coded infection risk, areas are classified as “red zones” when at least 41 Covid-19 cases are registered in a 14-day period.

Orange zones are those with 20 to 39 new cases within the same two-week period, while the “yellow zones” are areas with one to 19 cases and “green zones” are areas with no reported cases.

The situation in Simunjan is improving too with the district moved from the orange to the yellow zone after reporting only 15 new cases in the 14-day period.

The only district in the green zone is Daro in central Sarawak. – July 6, 2021.