MIRI – Eight more longhouses in Sarawak have been placed under Covid-19 lockdown today as the infections have begun spreading at an alarming rate in the vast rural heartland of the state.
The lockdowns that began this morning are in the Sibu division of central Sarawak.
Sibu's divisional Disaster Management Committee in a statement today said all the longhouses are being probed after as many as 37 positive Covid-19 cases were found among them.
The eight longhouses are Langi Ambau, Jelian Nayor, Ringit Unchu, Muja, Nyanggai, Jeran, Kelly Chundan and Nyambung Ajon.
The committee said the longhouses are being categorised as part of the Pasai Siong cluster.
The committee said the infections could have started from the Langi Ambau longhouse, which had held a funeral gathering recently.
The first positive Covid-19 case in the area was found on January 7 at the same longhouse after a woman fell ill and subsequently tested positive for the virus.
The committee said all the eight longhouses have been cordoned off and police have set up roadblocks to prevent people going out or getting in.
Health Department teams are also being deployed to the sites to carry out urgent tests and contain the spread. – The Vibes, January 9, 2021
