Some 2,500 individuals identified as having had close contact with COVID-19 positive patients in the city are yet to be screened, says Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

Uggah, who is also the State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) chairman said a special team led by former State Health director Dr Jamilah Hashim was set up to address the issue.

"They (the special task force) started this morning to call them up, and are pursuing them (close contacts) to come for the test," he said during the daily press conference on COVID-19 at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here, today.

Meanwhile, Uggah said the state government had to reverse its decision on allowing Sarawakians returning from the Peninsular, Sabah and Labuan to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine at home.

He said this was because there had been positive cases detected among Malaysians who returned from Indonesia via the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), as well as positive cases from Kuching and Miri who had just returned from overseas and Kuala Lumpur.

"All Sarawakians returning from the Peninsular, Sabah and Labuan will be quarantined for 14 days, at their place of arrival (either Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu or Miri) instead of quarantining themselves at home as instructed previously," he said, adding that those who tested negative after a test on the seventh day would be allowed to finish the quarantine at home.

-- BERNAMA