KUCHING – The Sarawak state government has banned the entry of travellers from India to prevent the spread of the new type of Covid-19 virus from a variant of concern (VoC) said the state Disaster Management Committee.
It said in a statement today that the restriction, which came into immediate effect, also involved those who have travelled to India within 30 days.
Recently, Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was reported as saying that travellers from India arriving in Malaysia are required to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine instead of 10 days as previously practised.
He said the move is a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of new VoCs in the country as some variants have been detected in Malaysia, such as variant B.1.351, better known as the South African variant.
According to a World Health Organisation report, there are three types of VoCs, namely B.1.351, first reported in South Africa; B.1.1.7 from the United Kingdom; and B.1.1.28 or P1 from Brazil and Japan.
According to the comittee, Sarawak recorded 615 new Covid-19 cases today, bringing the total number of cases to 28,529.
Six fatalities were reported and the death toll stands at 162, it said.
Three new clusters were also detected in the state, namely, Sg Senibung in Julau; Pondok in Belaga and Jalan Sebauh-Bintulu in Sebauh, it added. – Bernama, April 26, 2021
