LABUAN, Aug 2 ― The Labuan Disaster Management Committee launched an integrated Covid-19 operation involving 13 enforcement agencies today, as part of its efforts to prevent the virus from spreading on the island.
Its chairman Rithuan Ismail said the operation would run around the clock for a month.
“We want to keep the momentum of our achievement in flattening the curve of Covid-19 and it is in tandem with Labuan’s herd immunity.
“As we are moving into the green zone and to the next phase of the National Recovery Plan (PPN), we want to keep the momentum,” he said at a press conference before the launching of the operation at the Control Post of the Ops Covid-19 Integrated Coastal and Waters at Taman Tanjung Purun here today.
Rithuan said the local folks must work together with the authorities to be the eyes and ears to channel information related to the intrusion of illegal immigrants or those travelling without a police permit.
“Let’s work together to keep Labuan’s herd immunity… tracking unpermitted travellers is a daunting and critical task.
“As Labuan is still under Phase One of the PPN, we must ensure Labuan’s Covid-19 daily cases is controllable, we cannot afford to see Labuan return to the difficult situation,” he said.
The operation’s coordinating chief Labuan police chief Supt Ahmad Jawila said the operation would run in three phases involving 170 personnel from 13 enforcement agencies, concentrating on various hotspots in the Labuan waters and near the island’s border.
“Two important roles to be played by the enforcement agencies are to ensure that there are no intrusions around the Labuan waters and to ensure travellers entering Labuan must use gazetted entry points such as the ferry terminals and the Labuan Airport,” he said.
Among the 13 agencies are the police, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Malaysia Civil Defence Force (APM), the Immigration Department, the Marine Department, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, the Public Works Department and the Fire and Rescue Department whereby each agency would use their respective assets in the operation.
Ahmad said the 24-hour intensified operation would be mounted along the island’s coastline spanning 33 kilometres (km).
“Labuan has a total coastline length of 66km…of the total, 33km are the front coastline and the remaining are unguarded and become the illegal routes for illegal travellers,” he said.
On July 27, Labuan became the first among federal territories and states in the country to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19 with 80 per cent of its adult population fully vaccinated.
The federal territory has flattened the curve of Covid-19, recording a single-digit of daily positive cases in the past few days with no fatalities.
It recorded seven new cases today, taking the cumulative tally to 9,673. ― Bernama
