By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Feb 24: The police will take actions on individuals who had violated standard operating procedures (SOP) following the emergence of Kampung Emperoh Jambu Cluster on Monday (Feb 22) which was linked to a funeral at the village in Padawan here from Feb 3 to 5.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Aidi Ismail admitted that the individuals have violated the SOP issued by the government on funeral ceremonies or mass gatherings.
“They did not inform the police about holding the funeral.
“According to SOP for funeral ceremonies, police will be present to monitor and ensure no gathering or crowding of people as well as to control the number of people attending the ceremony,” he told the media when commenting on the recent outbreak of new clusters related to funeral and mass gathering today.
He was met after witnessing the arrival of the first consignment of the Pfizer-BioNTech ultra-cold vaccines at Raya Airways’ Cargo Warehouse in Kuching International Airport this evening.
He thus reminded that all funerals to be held must be reported to the police and urged people to comply with the restrictions for gatherings issued by the authorities.
Aidi pointed out that the police have and will continue to regularly monitor if there were any activities involving mass gatherings that break Covid-19 SOP and restrictions during this critical period.
In responding to Sarawak reported a new record high of 353 new cases today, he urged all Sarawakians to adhere to the SOP in order to curb the spread of Covid-19 infections as the State vaccination programme has yet to be rolled out.
“Make sure that we always put on face masks, observe physical distancing, wash or sanitise our hands and stay vigilant until most people have been vaccinated, then we can be more relieved,” he advised.
The police, he warned, will not compromise on those found to have violated the SOP.
“So give full cooperation with the enforcement authorities by complying with all SOP and safety and health guidelines to contain and prevent the increase of Covid-19 cases in Sarawak,” he reiterated.
Meanwhile, Kampung Emperoh Jambu Cluster was declared on Feb 22 and was now placed under Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) for 14 days from Feb 23 until March 8.
According to the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), the index case was a 45-year-old man who tested positive on Feb 16 while undergoing screening before starting work.
SDMC believed that the man could have been infected by his family members, who likely spread it to other contacts when attending the funeral of the index case’s wife from Feb 3 to 5.
The cluster reported 33 new cases today to push the total number of positive cases under the cluster to 101.
As of today, a total of 510 individuals have been screened whereby 164 were negative and 245 still waiting for lab test results. -DayakDaily
