KUCHING, 13 Oct 2021:
The Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) today announced Covid-19 screening at the state’s entry points will continue.
In a statement, SDMC said the measure is still necessary to protect Sarawakians and reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the state.
“Sarawak registered 106 imported cases from other states in August and 83 cases in September. The cases were detected while the individuals were in quarantine after arrival.
“Many other cases were found to be positive before applying to enter Sarawak. The screening requirement helps to reduce the risk of infection in planes and protect passengers.”
SDMC had earlier announced that arrivals still need to apply via the EnterSarawak website and furnish proof of their fully vaccinated status.
Yesterday, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had said the mandatory Covid-19 test is no longer needed for travel into Langkawi – which had been operating as a pilot tourism destination for vaccinate individuals.
Khairy had explained the decision was made after taking into account the low number of tourists who had tested positive and that there were no Covid-19 clusters detected in relation to the Langkawi travel bubble.
The government had announced that inter-state travel is allowed as of Monday Oct 10, without restrictions, after borders were closed to better manage the spread of Covid-19.
Khairy also today announced that Covid-19 vaccination booster shots will be provided free for all those who volunteer to receive this third injection, with registration via the MySejahtera app at least six months after the second dose. He further said the vaccine types can be mixed.
For individuals who have low immunity (immunocompromised) – such as cancer patients, organ recipients and kidney patients undergoing dialysis – he said the third dose will be administered at least 28 days after getting the second vaccination shot.
The booster shots under the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme started to be administered from today to senior citizens and frontliners.