LABUAN: Some parts of the duty-free island of Labuan will go into a total lockdown for all social and economic sectors from next Tuesday (June 15) to June 28, said the Labuan Natural Disaster Management Committee chairman Rithuan Ismail.

He said the 14-day partial lockdown will involve only eight localities including the town centre, Kampung Sungai Keling, Kampung Bukit Kalam, water village of Kg Patau-Patau, Taman Perumahan Mutiara Sg. Bedaun, Kampung Layang-Layangan, Kampung Durian Tunjong and Kampung Tanjung Aru.

Rithuan said the lockdown was approved by Labuan Natural Disaster Management Committee in a meeting today in view of the spike in Covid-19 cases over the last three weeks and food baskets would be distributed to residents in the affected areas next week.

The committee whose members comprise officials of Labuan Corporation (LC), Labuan police contingent, National Security Council (MKN), Malaysia Civil Defence Force and Labuan Fire and Rescue Department among others held a meeting yesterday and presented the do's and don'ts (on the lockdown) to Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa on the localities involved.

He said the committee hoped the three-day period (June 12-15) is sufficient for the people in the eight localities to stock up their daily necessities.

“The residents and villagers in the eight localities would be barred from leaving their homes except for emergency,” Rithuan said.

Labuan Health Department director Dr Ismuni Bohari said the healthcare personnel would continue to discharge duties accordingly to contain the outbreak in the local community.

Labuan recorded three digits of positive cases in the past three weeks with new deaths daily in the last seven days.

Labuan, Malaysia’s international business and financial centre and oil and gas hub recorded 176 new cases with eight fatalities yesterday, taking the cumulative total to 5,634 cases and death toll to 61.

There are four active clusters in the island in Victoria Merdeka, Simpang Sahari, Simpang Sungai and Patau-Patau.