KOTA KINABALU, 30 JUNE: The relaxation of the standard operating procedure (SOP) in Phase One of Movement Control under the National Recovery Plan (NRP) was based on good management of the present Covid-19 situation in Sabah, according to two Deputy Chief Ministers of Sabah. In separate remarks today, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the State Cabinet decided to loosen the SOP after observing how well the Covid-19 issue in Sabah could be managed and regulated, allowing the economy to recover quickly for the sake of the people.
According to Bung Moktar, the State government’s decision was based on statistics and facts, and the number of daily cases was still low compared to other Peninsula states.
“While we do not deny the wishes of the National Security Council (MKN) at the federal level, we all want the spread of Covid-19 to be curtailed and ended quickly.”
If a SOP has the potential to create a high rate of infection, the State government will not loosen it. What matters now is for the government to speed up the immunization process for all Malaysians,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey noted that loosening the SOP might make it simpler to monitor dining in restaurants and other eateries under the current condition of good Covid-19 management and control, among other things.
“In comparison to other places, the SOP relaxation takes into account this situation. So far, the State administration has done the best it can to deal with the Covid-19 cases in the state,” he noted.
Datuk Masidi Manjun, Sabah and Local Government Minister, allegedly said yesterday that the state government had submitted the SOP for Phase One of the Control Movement under the NRP to the federal government and was waiting for it to be gazetted.
According to a report from the Sabah Health Department, 178 new Covid-10 cases were reported yesterday, raising the overall number of cases to 69,203, while 219 patients recovered from the viral infection, bringing the total number of patients to 67,069./n
