Fatimah: Kindergartens, nurseries in Kuching to close from Oct 30 to Nov 13 due to rising Covid-19 cases

A young boy has his mouth checked by kindergarten staff before being allowed to enter the premises in this file photo.

KUCHING (Oct 29): All kindergarten and nurseries in Kuching will be closed starting tomorrow (Oct 30) till Nov 13 after the district was declared a red zone following a spike in Covid-19 cases recently, said Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.

The Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister said the decision was made following a consultation with Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is also Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman.

“The SDMC chairman (Uggah) will make a detailed announcement at a press conference later,” Fatimah said in a statement earlier today.

In addition, the National Unity Ministry also issued a statement saying that all of its 43 kindergartens and one nursery in Kuching District involving 830 pupils and 92 teachers would also be closed from Oct 30 to Nov 13.

Its minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique in the statement reminded all the ministry’s machinery in red zones in the country to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the Health Ministry and the National Security Council as well as directives from the state governments.

The Education Ministry announced in a statement late last night that all 209 schools and educational institutions in Kuching District have been ordered to close from Oct 30 to Nov 13 due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases and the district’s current status as a red zone.

“As directed by Prime Ministry Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Oct 6 that all schools in red zones will remain closed until the situation improves, the Education Ministry is declaring the closure of all schools in Kuching District, which has currently been designated a red zone by the Health Ministry,” the statement read.

“Schools or institutions that have dorms are also hereby closed, and parents or guardians of students are requested to take their wards home. Those that wish to stay on in their dorms will be placed under the care of the dorm warden and have their dietary needs taken care of by the school or institution.

“Students that are scheduled to sit for international examinations will need to obtain a letter of authorisation from their respective schools to attend the examinations,” it added.

View the full list of kindergartens and nurseries affected by the closure in the gallery below.