SARAWAK Deputy Chief Minister James Masing said the state may not necessarily follow the national directive in extending the movement control order for another two weeks until April 14.
The restriction of movements and congregating, designed to break the transmission of the virus, was to have ended on March 31.
However Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, in his address to the nation this afternoon, said it will be extended by another two weeks until April 14.
This is to ensure the government can fully concentrate on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
In his reaction to the announcement, Masing told The Malaysian Insight that “if our (state) medical experts say we have broken the chain of (transmission of) Covid-19 and (we) are on the road to successfully eliminating the threat, Sarawak need not follow Putrajaya”.
But he said the ban on foreigners and Malaysians who are non-Sarawak residents from coming in would have to continue as the pandemic elsewhere is still on the upward trend.
“We will just close our borders to non-Sarawakians.”
Muhyiddin said the extension was necessary as the country continued to register new coronavirus infections daily, despite the current restrictions in place.
“This trend is expected to continue for some time before a decline takes place. This forces the government to continue the movement control order for a longer period,” he said.
On the extension, Masing said he was sure the decision was based on medical advice.
“If that is the advice of medical experts, we have to follow. We have no choice if we want to win this fight against Covid-19.”
Earlier this morning, Douglas Uggah, the most senior of the state’s three deputy chief ministers, was a little evasive when asked on the state’s stand on the MCO.
He said the state would have to see what Putrajaya decides first.
Uggah however did say Sarawak has been taking steps to stop the spread of the virus in the state, by banning anyone from infected areas, such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Macau – well ahead of Putrajaya. – March 25, 2020.
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