KUCHING: It was unusually quiet at the Kuching Sentral Bus Terminal here today.
A check by New Sarawak Tribune at the station found few people were returning to their villages or longhouses this festive season.
Only a few passengers were seen waiting for their respective express buses and only two express buses were seen unloading or picking up passengers as well as the goods they were carrying.
Ticketing clerk Chamberlina Johnson, 28, said the number of people using express buses had decreased following the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Those who board the buses were mostly essential workers and students. I guess Sarawakians are very thoughtful and want to keep their families in the other parts of the state safe,” she said.
Chey Sanchez, 21, who is working as a factory operator in Bintulu, was glad to visit his family in Kuching and celebrate Christmas with them after a year of separation.
“The last time I celebrated Christmas with my family was in 2018. I also planned to visit them again earlier this year but the pandemic struck, so I continued working in Bintulu for the rest of movement control order (MCO),” he said.
New Sarawak Tribune also talked to an Indonesian factory worker named Jefrey, 23, who was waiting to board an express bus to Bintulu.
“I will take a bus trip to Bintulu and then make another trip to my hometown just near Sambas, Indonesia. I hope to reach home in time to celebrate Christmas with my family,” he said.
