THE Sarawak disaster management committee will decide tomorrow how to fully enforce a lockdown on longhouses amid reports lax enforcement has allowed the residents to flout health and safety guidelines to prevent coronavirus spread.

Residents under a stay-home order on the outskirts of Sibu town, the epicentre of the deadly Pasai cluster, were reported to have sneaked out of the neighbourhood, bypassing the police cordon by following jungle trails known only to the locals .

Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah today appealed to the wayward residents to comply with the rules.

Speaking in his native Iban language at a press conference, he explained to the residents why it was necessary to lock down the longhouses, where there have been cases of infection.

His address was streamed live on social media by the state government’s public communication unit, Ukas.

Uggah told reporters the disaster committee would re-evaluate the state’s SOPs to determine if Sarawak should employ the same rules enforced on the peninsula.

On whether Sarawak would follow the move to allow more sectors, including night markets and hair salons, to open, Uggah said the state had always set its own policies on the matter.

“Sarawak has always acted differently.”

Even when the rest of the country was placed under the MCO, he said Sarawak did not emulate the move except in Sibu.

Uggah said Sarawak’s SOPs were different because they were tailored to suit the local  situation.

Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today announced that the night markets, hair salons, and car wash centres on the peninsula are allowed to open for business starting tomorrow.

They are allowed to open until 10pm daily.

In Sarawak, the pasar malam and hair salons remain shut and only barbers are allowed to do business. – February 4, 2021.