KUCHING: Visitors arriving in Sarawak have been found to be truthful when filling in their Health Declaration Forms (HDF), said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.

He said he was informed by the state Immigration Department that its officers had yet to detect any false declarations by visitors regarding their travel history.

“They (immigration officers) had counter-checked the declaration against the owners’ passports. If the owners concerned had been to China recently, it will show in the passport through the China immigration stamping,” Uggah said when chairing the second meeting of the State Disaster Management Committee on Covid-19 here yesterday.

He added he regretted that certain unscrupulous people had been found to be selling the HDF to visitors at certain entry points.

“I wish to inform all that the forms are given free,” he said, adding the committee has so far given away more than 800,000 of the forms.

Meanwhile, Uggah informed that the state has received three new thermal scanners from the Health Ministry.

“Two had been installed at Kuching International Airport and Sibu Airport where they are now being used. The third is for the Immigration, Customs and Quarantine complex at Sungai Tujoh, Miri where it is being installed and will be operational by Feb 18.”

The three are in addition to the two existing scanners at Kuching International Airport and Miri Airport for international arrivals.

The committee will further provide two more scanners for installation soon at Sibu Airport and Bintulu Airport.

The deputy chief minister said employers wanting to bring in workers from China need to inform the committee in advance, adding these workers would also need to undergo 14 days of self-quarantine.

“The employers will have to provide the quarantine centre. But the bottom line is any workers who have flu must seek immediate medical attention at government hospitals.

“They should not wait for symptoms associated with Covid-19 like fever, coughing or breathing difficulty to

develop.”