MIRI – A sudden explosion of 94 new Covid-19 positive cases was recorded in Miri city today, causing alarm among the community and the authorities.
Some of the cases were caused by infections transmitted from a three-day gathering for a funeral ceremony at a longhouse area at Pasai Siong near Sibu.
Miri Mayor Adam Yii told The Vibes that all public events in Miri have been ordered to be cancelled immediately.
“The sharp surge today is very sudden and indeed extremely worrying,” he said.
“I was informed that these 90-plus new positive cases in Miri today alone are caused by transmission of Covid virus infections.
“The virus came here from the existing cluster in Miri (from the pilot index case), from the Pasai Siong cluster from Sibu (a longhouse index case) and from other sources that are still being investigated.
“To see such a big jump in one day is definitely something we did not expect,” he said.
Sarawak Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Dougglas Ugah said the 94 new cases in Miri are among the 153 new Covid-19 cases detected throughout Sarawak today.
He told the press that all relevant state and federal departments are putting in maximum effort to tackle the surge in infections.
Both Kuching and Sibu were declared red zones by the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee yesterday.
Earlier today, Sibu Municipal Council chairman Clarence Ting had taken to social media in a desperate effort to reach the people to warn them.
“The situation is bad. The virus is on the streets everywhere now. The number of Covid-19 infections will be much, much higher throughout this week,” he said. – The Vibes, January 11, 2021
