SARAWAK today lifted bans on more activities, including on contact sports, as the state reported another day of zero Covid-19 infections.

Swimming, rugby, football, hockey and martial arts, as well as other non-contact sports, can now resume.

Today’s announcement by the state disaster management committee means all sports can resume from June 17.

The committee said the Youth and Sports Ministry will liaise with sports associations on procedures to resume their activities.

Earlier today, the Power Aquatics Swimming Club (PASC) announced the postponement of its 5th PASC Inter-Primary School Swimming Competition’ and the 2nd Sarawak Short Course Sprint 2020. The two events were scheduled to be held later this month and in August at the Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Centre.

PASC said the decision to postpone the events was made after taking into consideration the risk it might pose to the health and safety of both participants and the public. 

“The decision was also taken following a government’s directive that all public gatherings are still prohibited given that the threat of Covid-19 is not fully over yet.” 

Beauty salons have also been given the go-ahead to resume from June 17.

As reports begin filtering in of Indonesian nationals sneaking into the state all along the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, the committee today ordered its Sarawak border sub committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister James Masing to tighten control and plug the jalan tikus on the border.

The latest two positive Covid-19 cases detected among Indonesian nationals working at a construction site just outside Kuching last week, heightened fears foreign workers could be a new source of infection. 

Seventeen people in Sarawak have died of Covid-19, but the last one was on April 30. – June 12, 2020.