KUCHING: Because of the increasing Covid-19 cases and now the emergence of new variants of concern (VOCs), it is necessary for the government to come up with very stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, in explaining this, said that the stringent SOPs were not meant to inconvenience or burden the people but to save lives.
“This year’s Gawai is set to be another subdued affair. We are bonded by the new norm. Last year, very few longhouses were affected. But this year, the scenario has changed.
“Some 634 longhouses statewide have been affected and placed under lockdown so far. A total of 3,894 positive cases were recorded.
“The health authority has traced the chains of transmission to social gatherings like funerals, weddings, birthday celebrations, gotong-royong (communal work), cockfighting and so forth,” he said in his Gawai message on Monday (May 31).
Ugaah said that such gatherings were held without much concern for physical distancing, wearing of face masks and maintaining of personal hygiene.
These were very conducive grounds for Covid-19 to spread while unrestricted inter-state and inter-district travel was another fast lane.
“For the record, family members attending funeral gatherings have contributed to 12 clusters, 3,725 positive cases and 31 deaths,” he said.
Uggah added that the most notorious was the Pasai Cluster in Sibu which had resulted in 2,693 positive cases and 29 deaths.
“This cluster is the biggest in the state so far. It is categorised under Import B (for interstate travel and funeral). Meanwhile, the Import C category (inter-district travel) had resulted in 12 clusters with 545 positive cases and three deaths.
“Thus, as the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman, I plead to fellow Dayaks, please avoid returning to your longhouses and villages this year.
“To those in longhouses and villages, do not hold any gathering, open house and ‘ngabang’ (visiting). Observe the Gawai SOPs with discipline and responsibility,” he stressed.
The respective Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) in longhouses and villages, added Uggah, must play their parts in community policing which was to ensure full compliance of the SOPs.
“Please help us to help you and your loved ones,” he said.
Touching on Gawai, Uggah said it was an occasion to thank God for his blessings on the people in the past one year and to pray to God to continue blessing the people abundantly in the year ahead.
“Finally, my family and I would like to wish all Dayak a very blessed and joyful Gawai Dayak 2021,” said Uggah.
