KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — Sarawak has postponed official state government functions involving more than 50 persons and called for the closure of schools and gyms.
Thirty-four cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the East Malaysian state over the last three days, following a mass gathering at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, 29 of which were “imported”. At least 600 Sarawakians had reportedly attended the tabligh event at the Sri Petaling mosque. Nationwide, the number of novel coronavirus cases has almost reached 500.
Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg’s office today announced new control measures to prevent further spread of Covid-19 in the state, including imposing a 14-day home quarantine on all Malaysian and foreign visitors and returning Sarawakians, to come into effect on Wednesday.
Relevant agencies will monitor these stay-home notice holders through random visits, phone calls, and apps, while exceptions will only be given to those who are in the state for official duty or business.
All state government official functions involving more than 50 persons are to be cancelled or postponed until further notice, while public functions with similar sized gatherings and larger strongly advised to do the same.
Meanwhile, all tabika, taska, and tahfiz schools in the state are to close for two weeks effective tomorrow, while government and private institutions of higher education will defer their new academic sessions by two weeks.
“All schools are advised to extend their school holidays for another week (til March 29, 2020),” read a statement by the Chief Minister’s Office, based on recommendations by the state Disaster Management Committee.
Besides that, all public sports facilities in Sarawak, including swimming pools, stadiums, and gymnasiums are to be closed tomorrow onwards. A gym member at Menara Ken TTDI in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, recently contracted Covid-19.
Everyone is advised to practice the highest standards of personal hygiene and to strictly abide by social distancing, the Sarawak Chief Minister’s Office said.
