MIRI – Sarawak must carry out mass screening on all foreign workers in the state, as the Delta Covid-19 variant may already be transmitting among them.
Society for Rights of Indigenous People of Sarawak secretary-general Michael Jok told The Vibes that the state must vaccinate all local employees mingling with foreign workers, while screening the latter at the same time.
“This is because there is a big population of undocumented foreign workers in plantations and logging zones in rural areas.”
There are many undocumented workers in the state, he added, who come from Java and Kalimantan.
“There is a danger that they may have brought Covid-19 and its mutated variants into Sarawak.”
Jok said health authorities must ensure all Sarawakians are vaccinated soon, whether in urban or rural districts.
The state must also stop recruiting foreign workers immediately, he added.
Sarawak is tightening entry procedures for travellers due to concerns about the Delta variant.
Its Disaster Management Committee said those from other states must get a negative RT-PCR test three days before entering the state, undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival, and take another RT-PCR test on the 10th day of isolation.
Visitors from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka must also undergo an additional 21-day mandatory quarantine before coming to Sarawak.
For visitors from other countries, they must get a negative RT-PCR test, and undergo a 14-day quarantine at the first point of entry, such as the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and another seven-day quarantine before entering Sarawak.
“The Delta variant is very infectious, and we cannot allow the virus to spread in Sarawak,” said the committee. – The Vibes, June 26, 2021
