KUCHING: A total of 36,805 households under the implementation of movement control order (MCO) in Sibu were given food assistance on Tuesday (Feb 2), said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
He said this amounted to about half or 51 percent of the identified recipients of the assistance.
“The Sibu Divisional Disaster Management Committee is actively distributing food assistance to the remaining households.
“They will also continue working to ensure that the food assistance will be distributed to those who have yet to receive it,” assured Awang Tengah, who is also the chairman of the Food Supply Chain Committee.
He said this in a press conference at Wisma Sumber Alam, here today.
Awang Tengah also alluded to claims from the people asking on their ineligibility to receive the food assistance.
He noted that the assistance was only given to those affected by the imposition of MCO and not for those under other types of movement control orders or restrictions.
“This is because movements are limited in areas under MCO. They are undergoing partial lockdown which is why we are giving priorities to areas under MCO,” he explained.
For the record, the Sarawak government has started distributing food assistance in stages to the people in Sibu who have been affected by the implementation of MCO since Jan 20.
It involves more than 73,000 households in the division which includes three districts namely Sibu, Selangau and Kanowit involving 11 constituencies.
Throughout the MCO period, each household will receive food assistance amounting to RM70 on a ‘one off’ basis for basic food items such as rice, sugar, flour, coffee, tea, dry biscuits, cooking oil, canned sardines and instant noodles.
The MCO was implemented in the Sibu Division since Jan 16 and will end on Feb 14 if the Covid-19 situation subsides.
