SARAWAK is putting up a protective shield” against another coronavirus outbreak when voters return from Sabah after tomorrow’s elections.

State disaster management committee chairman Douglas Uggah said he was alarmed just thinking about the number of people returning to Sarawak from the Covid-19 hotspot that was the neighbouring state.

He said apart from Sabah people who had gone home to vote, 500 police personnel based in Sarawak had also been deployed to assist in the state elections.
Scores of Sarawak politicians were also there to campaign for the various parties.

He said all of them risked contracting the virus and bringing it back with them to Sarawak.

Speaking in Bentong at a farewell gathering for Public Works Department employees who were retiring, he said reports indicated that many people returning from Sabah had tested positive for the virus.

“This means we cannot say we are safe. We have to form a protective shield around Sarawak against another possible outbreak,” he said.

He said although measures to check the spread of the disease were an inconvenience, they were necessary and people must comply with the rules.

“We have to be on our guard. We are not only protecting you or your family but society at large.

“We also have to be firm as this is a very difficult time and situation.”

Yesterday Sabah logged 63 new cases among the 71 cases reported nationwide.

In contrast, there has not been a confirmed infection in Sarawak since Tuesday, when it recorded two cases, one of which was imported.

Yesterday, Sarawak introduced new entry requirements for travellers arriving from Sabah, Labuan and the peninsula. – September 25, 2020.