By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, April 20: Sarawak recorded six positive cases of Covid-19, with no casualty reported today.
State Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said of the six cases, four patients are being treated at the Sarawak General Hospital, while two others at Bintulu Hospital.
The additional cases have brought the cumulative number of positive cases in Sarawak to 414 since the coronavirus was detected on March 13.
“Regarding persons under investigation (PUI), there are 105 new cases. A total of 126 PUI cases are awaiting laboratory results.
“If you compare with the earlier days, the number of PUI waiting for results has dropped drastically. This has shown our capacity to perform PCR test has improved tremendously,” he told a press conference on Sarawak Covid-19 updates at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here today.
On another note, he brushed off certain media reports saying that the committee has loosened the MCO in Sarawak by allowing two people to travel on the same vehicle or motorcycle.
He clarified that the rule for two persons in a vehicle was for farmers who are harvesting their crops in rural areas.
Uggah, who is Minister of Agriculture Native Land and Regional Development, said this in light of the current harvest season in the state.
“Farmers need another helping hand to enable them to bring their crops from their farm to the town area to be sold.
“As a result, the committee has then allowed people especially those in the rural areas or green zone to have two persons inside a vehicle,” he explained.
Last Saturday, Uggah announced that the committee has allowed two persons, in particular farmers in the rural areas, to travel in one car or vehicle.
The rationale was to enable an additional person to assist with the harvesting of crops, he said.
However, Uggah gathered that some news reports have mistaken it as the committee’s move to loosen the MCO in Sarawak. — DayakDaily
