Its chairman, Douglas Uggah Embas said employers must ensure their workers were issued valid work permits before bringing them into the state.

“Employers need to pay for the transportation from entry point to the quarantine centre, as well as the cost for 14-day quarantine, including two swab tests for their foreign workers,” he told reporters today.

Uggah said the state was facing a labour shortage, especially in the oil palm industry, and that there were also requests for the hiring of foreign maids.

“If we continue to ban the entry of foreign workers, we’re worried that more companies and employers will resort to hiring illegal workers.”

He also said a special task force had been set up to assist the Health Department to look into the storage and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines in the state, especially transportation into rural Sarawak.

“They are given one month to do the assessment and will be providing recommendations to the state government, to ensure the vaccine will be distributed smoothly.

“We want to make sure we have adequate infrastructures and are well-prepared once the vaccine arrives. We want to ensure that all Sarawakians will be given the vaccine for free.”

Meanwhile, the state reported four imported Covid-19 cases today, including one in Miri and three in Kuching. To date, the state has reported a total of 1,094 cases, including 19 deaths.

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