Ramadan bazaars risk becoming Covid-19 super-spreader event, warns S’wak politician

KUCHING – The Sarawak government’s stand to allow Ramadan bazaars this year is a major cause for concern, said two state politicians.

Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak president Lina Soo told The Vibes that the state already has its hands full, struggling to flatten the Covid-19 infectivity curve as hundreds of new cases continue to be logged daily, and the green light given to the bazaars is “very worrying”.

“Many longhouses were under lockdown for weeks, and the infection spikes are continuing. The state has failed to prove that it can control the spread of Covid-19 at funerals, which turned out to be super-spreader catastrophes.   

“And now, a bazaar is what it is, a large gathering of people, buyers and sellers, where social distancing flies out of the window, and this, too, for one whole month. What are we trying to prove here?”  

She said the Sarawak government should not wait to see if the bazaars can be a super-spreader event, like how funerals have proven to be.

“Age-old wisdom points to the maxim ‘prevention is better than cure’, rather than the new-normal standard operating procedures, which everyone knows cannot work perfectly. The infectivity curve is up, cases in Sarawak are on a see-saw trend, so why do we need to risk further exposure by hosting bazaars?” 

The state Disaster Management Committee (DMC) has become a mechanism that merely reports the number of daily cases rather than informing the public on what actions are being taken to bring down the tally, she said.

“Disaster and pandemic crisis management should be left to competent professionals, not politicians.” 

DAP’s Michael Kong said it is worrying that more often than not, the state government is allowing festivities to take precedence over the people’s well-being.

“We have seen the effects of Covid-19 due to lax measures. Look at the recent movement control order, which was implemented seemingly to reduce the number of cases and the infectivity curve. But, we are seeing cases spiking every day with the triggering of more clusters,” said the special assistant to state DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen.

“We need authorities who can take the bull by its horns. One who has the sheer will and determination to resolve the Covid-19 situation properly, once and for all.

“We have seen how Singapore and New Zealand were able to do this even before the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine. Their people are now able to go back to their daily lives, and this is through proper and strict implementation of the SOPs, not half-baked ones like in Malaysia.”

The Sarawak DMC yesterday said Ramadan bazaars will be allowed from April 12 to May 12, in conjunction with the Aidilfitri festival, with enhanced SOPs in place.

Traders are first required to obtain approvals from the DMC in divisions where the bazaars will operate.

Beginning March 1, Sarawak has allowed the intake of 27,000 foreign labourers to work in the state’s logging, plantation and construction sectors, also triggering an outcry over concerns it will lead to a rise in Covid-19 infections. – The Vibes, March 27, 2021