By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, March 16: Sarawak will not be able to achieve its target of 5 million tourist arrivals this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected the whole world, said Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
However, the state Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister expressed hope that the RM20 billion stimulus package could bring some positive effect to the country’s overall economy.
“We are hoping that the Sarawak government will complement the federal government’s economic stimulus package to cushion the effect of Covid-19 on our economy,” he said when contacted.
According to Abdul Karim, chief minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg is expected to convene an emergency meeting will all stakeholders tomorrow (March 16) on the best way to address the impact of the pandemic in Sarawak.
“I believe this Covid-19 is a temporary issue, which we must address with patience and resilience. Once it is over, we should be able to rise up again, as in the case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Hemagglutinin Type 1 and Neuraminidase Type 1 (H1N1) before,” he said.
The Asajaya lawmaker added: “In any storm, there is a silver lining and I hope that all Sarawakians will cooperate with the relevant authorities to address and to contain the spread of the deadly virus.” — DayakDaily
