LABUAN, May 19 — Labuan may follow the Sabah state government’s decision to enforce mandatory 14-day quarantine on individuals entering the island in a move to curb COVID-19 cases.
Labuan Natural Disaster Management Committee chairman Rithuan Ismail said they are now awaiting approval from the Federal Government over the matter.
“We have to wait and will make an announcement in the next few days,” he said in a virtual press conference here today.
Yesterday, Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine on individuals entering the state effective Thursday.
Besides mandatory quarantine, Rithuan said the committee is also proposing the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test for all travellers before entering the duty-free-island.
On a separate matter, Rithuan clarified that the two married couples from Labuan claimed to have triggered new COVID-19 clusters in Tawau, Sabah had undergone the RTK-Antigen test and tested negative prior to their interstate travel.
He also assured that all individuals in the island who intend to do interstate travel are required to comply with strict standard operating procedures (SOP) including the need to apply for a police permit and provide a negative test result before they are allowed to pass police checkpoints at Labuan Airport and the ferry terminal.
Yesterday, Masidi, who is minister in-charge of COVID-19 matters in Sabah, said the state had decided to impose tighter restrictions for entry into the state after two index cases originating from Labuan triggered new COVID-19 clusters in Tawau.
He was reported to have said that the first case involved a married couple who returned to Ladang Abaka, Tawau on May 7 and confirmed positive on May 14, infecting nine other family members. The couple was found negative for their RTK-AG test upon their entry.
The second case had returned to Kampung Sungai Imam, Tawau on May 8 before the couple was confirmed positive on May 16. Throughout their travels they had met 43 family members.
However, Masidi in a statement today explained that in the case of the second couple, they were suspected to have been infected from the index case when visiting family members in Kampung Sungai Imam and Taman Berkeley on May 13 and 14 (first and second day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri).
Meanwhile, Rithuan also said that a total of RM963,500 worth of compounds were issued to 677 violators of COVID-19 prevention SOPs since March last year.
He said of the number, 386 compounds amounting to RM373,875 were settled, 277 unsettled compounds were due for court proceedings and appeals while the remaining 14 compounds had been classified as no further action.
Cumulative positive cases in Labuan thus far number 2, 591 with 14 new cases reported today.
