BY NEVILLE TIMOTHY SANDERS
KUCHING: More flights will be coming into Sarawak on a weekly basis soon, says Datuk Lee Kim Shin.
The Sarawak Minister for Transport disclosed on Wednesday (April 6) that the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) had approved the number of flights – from 575 to 615 weekly.
“These include flights from Brunei Darussalam and Singapore. We hope that Brunei and Indonesia will soon open their borders to all, other than those specified under essential services and on medical grounds,” he said on Friday (April 8).
“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of visitors coming in had gone down from 1,199,872 in 2020 to only 235,245 in 2021. We believe that the number will be better in 2022 with the reopening of borders.”
He also anticipated a surge in travellers in the next couple of months as people yearned to travel and many countries were reopening their borders and transitioning into the endemic phase.
At the same time, he reminded travellers that despite the reopening of borders, all must comply strictly with the Covid-19 standard operating procedures set by the National Security Council, Ministry of Health and SDMC.
“We must not rest on our laurels, especially in this transition phase, in our efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.”
For international travellers coming into Sarawak, they must show their negative PCR test results taken 48 hours before departure. They must download and update their MySejahtera online and purchase Health Insurance Coverage, including Covid-19, not less than USD20,000.
“In this regard, we need assistance from the airlines to inform the passengers before boarding their flights from country of departure.”
