KUCHING, May 30: Express boat services to and within Kapit Division have been suspended effectiv today until further notice following reports of overcrowding at the Kapit Express Boat Terminal on May 28.
Minister of Transport Datuk Lee Kim Shin said the Kapit Division Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) announced this decision with the approval of the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) to contain the spread of Covid-19 especially with the coming Hari Gawai Dayak celebration on June 1.
He said the affected express boat routes are the Kapit-Putai-Kapit, Sibu-Kapit-Putai-Kapit-Sibu, and Kapit-Belaga-Kapit lines.
“With this decision, the Ministry of Transport, Sarawak through its agency, Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB) has issued riverine notice to all affected owners and operators of the express boat as well as the public on the temporary suspension of express boat services into and within Kapit Division commencing May 30, 2021 until further notice,” he said.
In this regard, Lee said SRB enforcement officers in Sibu and Kapit were directed to closely monitor the on-site situation particularly in respect to compliance with the suspension directive, thus all express boat owners and operators are advised to cooperate.
Otherwise, he said SRB would not hesitate to take action against any express boat owners or operators as the safety of the people remains the highest priority.
“While the people’s safety is of utmost importance to us, we trust the temporary suspension of express boat services into and within Kapit Division will help to further strengthen the efforts currently being undertaken by the government to mitigate the rising number of covid-19 cases in Kapit Division,” he said in a statement today.
On May 28, the day before the implementation of Sarawak’s Movement Control Order (MCO) on May 29, a short video clip taken in Kapit went viral depicting passengers overcrowding express boats while boarding and disembarking without social distancing. — DayakDaily
