Sabah Bars Travel To And From Labuan After Indian Virus Variant Found

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Labuan is now cut off from Sabah, as the state government hopes to prevent the Indian variant of Covid-19 from being transmitted in its borders. (Facebook pic)KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has barred travel between the state and Labuan following the detection of a variant of concern (VOC) of the Covid-19 virus in the federal territory island.
Masidi Manjun, the state’s official Covid-19 spokesman, said the state government had decided to bar people from Sabah going into Labuan and vice versa after the Indian variant of the virus was found on the island.
“People from Labuan are not allowed into Sabah except for movements involving essential services and goods, security, health and those who have obtained special approvals,” he said in his daily Covid-19 statement today.
“The public ferry service is also only allowed for essential services and goods. This rule will take effect immediately.”
Masidi Manjun.He added that travel applications for couples in long-distance relationships would also not be entertained from May 28 to June 7.
“This is to stop the virus variant from spreading to Sabah,” he said.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was reported to have said yesterday that 13 new VOCs had been detected, adding that the sole Indian variant B.1.617.2 was detected in a Malaysian in Labuan.
He said the case was a close contact of an Indian citizen and that both had taken a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Labuan on April 23.
Meanwhile, Masidi said the major reason for the rise in infections in Sabah was the failure of the public and business owners to comply with SOPs, particularly the failure to wear face masks.
He said business operators were required to display the Covid-19 SOPs at their premises.
“Any outlet that has a public address (PA) system must remind its customers to always heed the rules. And this must be repeated at one-hour intervals.
“Local authorities will supply the posters to the premises. The material will contain complaint phone numbers for the public to call in case the SOPs are breached,” he said, adding that frequent checks would be conducted. - FMT

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