KUCHING, April 18 — Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) has given an exemption for farmers and their wives to travel in the same vehicle or motorcycle to go to their farms, its chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said today.

"Husbands and their wives can go together in the same car or motorcycle, for example, to harvest their paddy during this harvest season,” he said. 

He said under the movement control order (MCO), one person is allowed to be in the car or motorcycle.

"We have to be realistic in dealing with the paddy farmers where husbands and wives will have to go together,” he said in SDMC’s daily briefing on Covid-19 infection in Sarawak. 

He said SDMC has given instruction to the police to allow men and their wives to be in the same vehicles to harvest their paddy.

However, he said the rural communities should not take advantage by abusing the leeway.

Uggah, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister, said SDMC has also allowed telecommunication companies such as Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile and their dealers to reopen their business operations.

He said these companies are considered as providing essential services to the public.

However, he said they can only operate from selected premises.