KUCHING, Dec 19 — Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian today said the Sarawak government supported the Ministry of Health's (MoH) decision not to revive the movement control order (MCO) yet despite the current surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country.

He said that with Covid-19 being endemic, the public should live with the coronavirus and to adopt the Test, Report, Isolate and Seek (TRIIS) strategy if they have symptoms.

"If the test is positive, (the people should) get the free oral antiviral Covid-19 pill as early as possible for it to be most effective to prevent severe symptoms,” Dr Sim, who is also the state minister of public health, housing and local government, said in a statement commenting on Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad’s statement yesterday.

He said he has been assured by the state Health Department that the Paxlovid pill for the Covid-19 treatment is available from any government’s healthcare facilities as well as from the private clinics in Sarawak.

He urged the public not to panic over the increase in Covid-19 cases, saying that it would not help and that they should instead play their role to curb the spread.

He advised the public to wear face masks in crowded places and to maintain good personal hygiene at all times, such as washing their hands.

He added the vulnerable groups should obtain their Covid-19 vaccine boosters if they have yet to do so.

"We have done it together in the past. We shall do it again to curb the surge,” he said.

Dr Sim said the state Health Department will continue to monitor the Covid-19 trend and strengthen the preparedness of all public healthcare facilities in case of further surge in cases.

"We must remain vigilant, learn from our lessons as in 2021, because of one case from Johor, which resulted in the creation of the Pasai cluster with more than 3,000 infected and more than 100 people lost their lives,” he said.

"Together we shall make it through the Christmas celebration safely,” he said.

At a press conference yesterday, Dr Dzulkefly ruled out any return of lockdowns such as the MCO despite a 62.2 per cent increase in Covid-19 cases last week.

However, he said the ministry will reinstate the Test, Report, Isolate, Inform, Seek (TRIIS) framework to prevent any outbreak.

He hoped that the current Covid-19 situation can be dealt with without having to repeat restrictions such as the MCO that occurred at the beginning of the pandemic.