KUCHING: All arrivals into Sarawak will undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine at the designated quarantine centres, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

He said they will be placed at the quarantine centres at their respective place of arrival instead of being subjected to self-imposed quarantine at home through the 14-day stay home notice (SHN).

“This is in line with the federal policy that is in place where any arriving individuals from abroad is quarantined for 14 days.

“In that way, we hope we can contain the Covid-19 situation by imposing the requirement that these people will be quarantined in Sarawak,” he told a daily press conference on the Covid-19 situation yesterday.

Uggah also appealed to Sarawakians for their cooperation in terms of playing their roles to ensure the situation in the state will improve.

“As I said yesterday, we have a lot of areas that are yellow and green (low infection area and areas with no recorded infection). We want the green areas to remain green,” he said.

He also urged city and rural dwellers to make an arrangement with their friends or acquaintances when collecting food aid to prevent unnecessary mass gatherings with no regard for social distancing.

To a question, he said as of press time, there were no reports of insufficient medicine at clinics or health centres and that no one was denied to obtain their prescribed medications by the police.

“We have ordered the health department to determine for those who are quarantined that they have enough prescribed medications.

“For the medicine suppliers, we have directed them to ensure their supply must continue and that is what they are doing now,” he said.