KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government today announced that restrictions on the movement between Sabah and Labuan will take effect immediately following the detection of the Indian COVID-19 variant in the Federal Territory.

State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said that exemptions were given for the movement of essential services and essential goods, safety and health or medicine, and with special permission.

"Public ferry transport is also only for necessary services and goods. Permission applications (for movement between Sabah and Labuan) for long-distance couples will also not be considered from May 28 to June 7," he said in a statement last night.

Meanwhile, Masidi, who is also the official spokesperson for COVID-19 in Sabah, said the main factor for the increase in COVID-19 cases in the state was the failure of the public and owners of business premises to comply with standard operating procedures (SOPs), especially the wearing of face masks.

"Accordingly, owners of business premises are required to display the COVID-19 SOPs at their respective premises.

"Premises that have announcement equipment should remind their customers to always comply with the SOPs that have been set. This periodic announcement should be done every hour.

"The enforcement authorities will constantly patrol to ensure that the SOPs are fully complied with," he added.

Commenting on the development of COVID-19, he said Sabah recorded 229 new positive cases today, bringing the cumulative number of the outbreak to 61,057 cases, while 81 patients were cured and discharged, bringing the cumulative number of patients cured in Sabah to 58,968.

-- BERNAMA