KUCHING:The Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) has decided to extend the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) in Kuching district until Thursday (Nov 27).

Sarawak SDMC acting chairman Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing said the decision was made at today's meeting as, in the past 14 days, there were still 58 COVID-19 cases reported in Kuching.

"The infections are not focused on certain areas and as such, after risk-assessment, the CMCO in Kuching district is extended until Nov 27," he said at the daily press conference on COVID-19 here, today.

The entrance procedure and 14-day quarantine upon entering Sarawak have also been extended until further notice.

Masing said movement in and out of the Kuching district was also prohibited, except for official matters and work purposes by showing permission letters or work passes from employers, while emergency cases are required to apply for a permit from the police.

Masing, who is also Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister, said that nurseries and kindergartens in red and yellow zones are allowed to operate subject to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the state's Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development.

The operators, he said, would be fully responsible for SOP compliance as well as inform the ministry prior to opening for business for record and monitoring purposes.

Meanwhile, the number of passengers in a private vehicle is according to the capacity of the vehicle and no longer limited to just three persons, he added.

According to Masing, the state government would still bear the quarantine cost for Sarawakians, while their spouses, who are not Sarawak citizens, would have to pay for themselves.

-- BERNAMA