MIRI – Attempts by the Sarawak Rivers Board to prevent a Gawai Dayak rush by halting express boat services in central Sarawak may have been fruitful, but less can be said about the rush on land.
The eve of Gawai Dayak today saw heavy traffic building up along Bintulu and Sibu roads, with police setting up roadblocks for traffic control along major routes.
Tg Batu assemblyman Chiew Ching Sing said congestion was reported along several roads.
“There are traffic jams on and off here and there, as movement of people and vehicles pick up momentum ahead of the Gawai holidays starting tomorrow.
“There are police roadblocks set up along major land entry and exit points in Bintulu.
“Only those with police permits are allowed to travel across districts,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Sarawak Rivers Board has issued a directive to halt express boat services for the 400km-long Sibu-Kapit route until after the holiday.
This comes after videos and pictures of large crowds at the wharf on the waterfront of Kapit town along Rajang River made the rounds last Saturday.
Express boat operators have been operating, despite the surge in Covid-19 infections in Kapit and statewide.
The Kapit district, along with Belaga and Baram, are the largest districts in Sarawak.
Social activist Harry Wing said many locals had been caught off guard by the sudden announcement of a full-scale movement control order (MCO) on Saturday, which may have contributed to the rush back to their rural home towns at the weekend.
“The announcement of the total MCO by the state Disaster Management Committee (DMC) was made rather suddenly.
“This has caused certain people to rush to get home to their longhouses.
“There are also many Dayaks working in urban towns like Sibu and Miri who have made earlier bookings on express boats to go home, not knowing that the state DMC would suddenly announce a full-scale MCO,” he said.
Harry, in confirming that the videos and pictures of the Gawai rush were indeed from Kapit wharf, urged for stricter adherence to health SOPs.
“There must be tighter crowd control to prevent more infections.
“Congestion like this is dangerous, especially in public places and longhouses,” he said.
The state DMC, in its latest SOPs on Gawai, urged all longhouse chiefs to be responsible for ensuring that the Gawai celebrations does not escalate beyond control.
The village security committee must also ensure all families celebrate indoors in their living quarters with full adherence to physical distancing and wearing of masks, it said.
The Gawai Dayak festival is a month-long festival celebrated by one million Dayaks in Sarawak to give thanks for a good padi harvest and to prepare for the coming planting season. – The Vibes, May 31, 2021
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