KUCHING: Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) Sarawak urged the general public not to be negligent and forgetful in adhering to the usage of face masks and to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Its chairman Ahmad Malie said that the current uptick in the number of positive cases throughout the country is particularly troubling. The recent surge with Sarawak recording the highest number of new cases has spawned fears of a second wave of Covid-19 infections.
In the light of this new scenario, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has indicated the possibility of introducing a new law to mandate the wearing of face masks in public spaces.
Several countries which are in the throes of a second wave such as Hong Kong, France and the Australian city of Melbourne have made the wearing of face masks compulsory in public spaces as the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported a record one-day increase of global Covid-19 cases on Saturday at 259,848 confirmed cases.
“The government is also considering mandating the use of face masks in public places. Details on this will be announced when the rules are finalised by the government,” Muhyiddin said in a televised speech on Monday (July 20).
“Cuepacs welcomes and supports this proposal as more and more clusters of positive Covid-19 cases have surfaced in recent days. Our efforts to curb and break the chain of transmission are not over.
“So please wear masks when out in public and abide by the rules set out by the government so that we can beat this disease once and for all.” Ahmad said.
