KUCHING, March 21: Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) president Lina Soo was horrified to learn that the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex regulating border control between Brunei and Kalimantan would continue to stay open.
She lamented that nothing was mentioned about the Sindumin CIQ bordering Sabah and Sarawak.
“Brunei and Sabah have positive Covid-19 cases, and any slip through will be dire for all territories, especially when Serian, Miri and Limbang have been identified as three of seven Covid-19 hotspots in Sarawak, where cross-border travel takes place,” she said in a statement.
Soo said that even though there was no reported case in Kalimantan, it was better to err on the side of caution, as Indonesia was known to have insufficient testing kits and personal protection equipment (PPE).
“The challenge of stopping the Covid-19 virus in its tracks is one of urgency and criticality, and the Sarawak government cannot afford to make the slightest error of judgement.
“If the Sarawak government takes so seriously the criticality of the Covid-19 situation, it should leave nothing to chance and must seal off all borders with urgency, even within the island of Borneo itself,” she said.
Soo noted that according to The Jakarta Post, Indonesia now had the highest number of deaths related to Covid-19 in South East Asia with more than 30 casualties and registering the highest fatality rate of 8.6 per cent.
She said that Covid-19 had reached 17 of Indonesia’s provinces.
“With a large population of high density and poor healthcare system, I urge the Sarawak government to close all borders absolutely between Sarawak and Indonesia, as this is a life and death situation,” he added.—DayakDaily.
