PPN: Sarawak's shift to Phase Two not a hasty decision - Unggah

PADAWAN: The decision to shift to Phase Two of the Movement Control under the National Recovery Plan is not a hasty one for Sarawak, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas today.

Uggah, who is also State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman, said the decision was subject to three main conditions set by the National Security Council (MKN), namely, the average daily COVID-19 cases drop below 4,000, the rate of bed usage in the intensive care units must be kept at a moderate level and 10 per cent of the population has completed both doses of the vaccination.

He said the latest statistics on vaksincovid.gov.my indicated that 1,413,184 individuals had received the first dose of vaccine in Sarawak, adding that this figure comprised 50.18 per cent of those eligible to receive the vaccination and far surpassed the threshold value needed to shift to the next phase.

"So, the decision is not a hasty one but had been evaluated professionally by MKN," he told a media conference after visiting the vaccination centre (PPV) at the Bra'ang Bayur Clinic, here.

Beginning tomorrow, Sarawak will transition to Phase Two of the PPN whereby several economic sectors are allowed to reopen based on guidelines set by MKN.

In another development, Uggah said that only individuals from the age of 18 years old and above would be vaccinated.

"For those below 18-years-old, we (Sarawak) await the decision of MKN, as such no vaccination for them to date," he said.

-- BERNAMA