By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Aug 4: Individuals who register their presence at public places using fake or inaccurate contact details which could cause problems in Covid-19 contact tracing could be slapped with a fine.
State CID chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Dennis Leong emphasised that the purpose of providing accurate details was to ease and facilitate Covid-19 contact tracing so that the individuals concerned may be contacted when the need arise.
“In the Miri case, while I am not going to comment much on it, but when their names were called, the two chaps did not respond.
“So are they using a name that they don’t even recognise themselves? That’s the reason why they were being compounded,” he clarified when asked if it was a compoundable offence to give inaccurate personal details when checking in public places.
According to the brief facts of the case, two individuals dining at an eatery in Miri four days ago were fined RM1,000 each as they could not identify themselves when their names were called out from a logbook by police checking on public compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Meanwhile, State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas urged people to check in with various apps like MySejahtera and Qmmunity if they were uncomfortable about writing down their particulars.
“We appeal to people to write their correct names and contacts. If the name is not correct, when being called, you are not able to answer as like the case being mentioned earlier,” he said.
He emphasised that accurate contact details were crucial for contact tracing purposes which is among vital strategies in fighting Covid-19.
“For example, if someone goes to the market and there are cases reported there later on, there is a high chance others may be infected.
“The strategy is to get hold of the person soonest possible so that the infected person can be picked out from the community, isolated and treated so as to prevent further transmissions,” he added.
The Deputy Chief Minister urged the public to observe self-discipline and practise responsibility not only towards themselves and their families but the community at large, otherwise Sarawak could suffer the fate of cities like Melbourne which were forced to impose stricter lockdowns following resurgence in Covid-19 cases. — DayakDaily
