SIBU: People are advised not to be worried when going to the polls in the 12th State Election (PRN12) which will be held in the near future.
Sibu Divisional Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) coordinator Dr Annuar Rapaee when updating Sibu’s Covid-19 update on Saturday stated that risk of going to the polls are less than the risk when eating outside.
Dr Annuar, who is also Public Health and Housing Assistant Minister, said voting during polling day would be safer than eating at a diner.
“This is due to the strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) that will be enforced at all polling stations.
“At the polling station, only one person is allowed to enter the lane at a time. There is also a physical distance of at least one metre between voters.
“Voters only need to pull their face masks for a while for identification purposes,” he said, who is also the Education, Science and Technology Research Assistant Minister.
The situation is very different when eating inside the premises where people take off their face masks to eat and drink which could reveal a higher risk if the place is crowded with people, he pointed out.
He said it would be more dangerous to be in a coffee shop than to go to the polls during PRN12.
Meanwhile, Dr Annuar said the relevant authorities such as the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MoH) and the Election Commission (EC) would decide on the SOPs for the state election.
Touching on the booster dose, he said, individuals who meet the criteria can come directly to the Sibu Indoor Stadium to receive it.
The Nangka incumbent explained that the booster dose is currently given to individuals aged 60 and above, the frontline personnel and individuals with comorbidities.
“Sinovac recipients will be given a Pfizer booster injection three months after their second dose, while Pfizer recipients will be given a Pfizer booster dose injection six months after their second dose,” he said, while urging eligible individuals to take their booster dose.
Dr Annuar added that people can check their vaccination appointments through the MySejahtera application.
However, those who meet all the criteria but do not receive an appointment through MySejahtera, they can also come directly to the Sibu Indoor Stadium.
In another matter, Dr Annuar said Covid-19 cases in Sibu district showed a decline as the majority of its population had received vaccination.
He added, from Oct 10 to Oct 16 there were 914 cases, followed by on Oct 17 to Oct 23 (632), Oct 24 to Oct 30 (511) and from Oct 31 to Nov 6 (355).
On Saturday, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) reported that Sibu district recorded 30 new Covid-19 cases.
