COVID-19: Eight longhouses in Sibu under lockdown

SIBU: Eight longhouses in Pasai Siong here have been placed under lockdown until further notice starting yesterday after 37 COVID-19 cases were detected in one of the longhouses a day before.

Sibu Disaster Management Committee chairman Charles Siaw said the police mounted a roadblock at the entrance to Rumah Panjang Langi, located about 15 km from Jalan Teku Pasai Siong, starting 11.30 pm yesterday.

He said the index case in the area involved a woman who returned from Johor Bahru on Dec 29 to attend her father’s funeral.

“Upon arrival in Sibu, she was given an exemption to undergo quarantine in Pasai Siong (Rumah Panjang Langi). Her second swab was taken at the Jalan Lanang Health Clinic on Jan 5 and was confirmed COVID-19 positive on Jan 6,” he said in a news conference here, today.

Charles said the woman was currently being treated at Sibu Hospital.

From a screening held on Thursday, 37 out of 74 residents of Rumah Panjang Langi tested positive for COVID-19.

“Screening on nearby longhouses residents will be conducted today and tomorrow,” Charles said.

He urged those who attended a funeral at Rumah Panjang Langi, Pasai Siong on Dec 29 to 31 to immediately come forward for COVID-19 screening at the Jalan Lanang Health Clinic or Sibu Jaya Health Clinic.

-- BERNAMA