KUCHING, July 14 — Schools in three Sarawak districts will reopen on August 3 and not tomorrow due to concerns over an increase in Covid-19 cases, state Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Douglas Uggah announced today.

He said the decision was made after consulting the state Education Department, state Health Department and the Sarawak Security Council.

"The schools in the districts of Kuching, Samarahan and Padawan will only be reopened on August 3,” Uggah, who is also the deputy chief minister, told reporters on his Covid-19 briefing.

The three districts share common borders.

He said a total of 138 primary and secondary schools, involving 87 in Kuching district, 48 in Padawan district and three in Samarahan districts, have been ordered to defer their reopening.

The grades affected are transition classes, Forms 1 to 4 and Lower Six, and Primary 1 to 6.

"For pre-school, Form 5 and Upper Six classes, their sessions will continue as normal,” he said.

Uggah said schools in other districts will reopen tomorrow.

He also said parents have expressed concerns on allowing their children to go to schools following reports of six new cases of Covid-19, including one death over the past week.