SIBU: The call to stay at home during the two-week Movement Control Order (MCO) period enforced here seemed to have fallen on deaf ears with many people flouting it.
Sibu Municipal Council chairman, Clarence Ting Ing Horh said today that some people alleged that the culprits were their bosses who forced them to come to work despite knowing that it was utmost critical to ensure the Covid-19 curve in the division be flattened down.
He said that as early as in the morning, he would receive messages from the public who were displeased with companies violating the MCO, with some asking whether furniture, car accessory shops and the water dispenser service could operate during this time.
Perhaps the ones that bothered Ting most were messages from staff or their spouses that the former were being forced by their bosses to come to work. These were voices calling for help; they felt stressed out during the MCO, according to one of his postings on Facebook.
Another complaint he received was from a coffee shop worker who alleged that its owner was still allowing regular customers to dine at the premises, which the complainant refused to reveal the location for fear that he would lose his job.
Ting said he had to walk around town to verify the allegations and found out that despite the streets being deserted, there were still many cars parked in the various commercial areas here and it bothered him.
“Yes, there were many comments from the public seeing so many people still at work, particularly in the offices in town.
“However, the atmosphere was totally different today and it felt like a public holiday where the normally vibrant streets were quiet.
“I am speculating that the message is getting through to the public that the MCO is in force in Sibu,” he said, hoping the outbreak would blow over soonest possible so that the people could all get back to normality.
Sibu recorded its first Covid-19 death yesterday involving a 55-year-old from Kanowit who was linked to the Pasai Cluster that has so far resulted in 664 positive cases. — Bernama
