.The Minister of Health speaking at the daily COVID-19 press conference at Al-‘Afiah Hall of the Ministry of Health today. (Photo: BAHIYAH BAKIR)
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‘The 2019 Plague” Day 169’
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De-escalation of some restrictions from May 16
The Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohammad Isham Hj Jaafar said nonew COVID-19 cases were recorded in Brunei today, maintaining the national tally at 141.
Meanwhile, no new recoveries were recorded today, maintaining the total number of recovered patients at 134. There are currently 6 activecases being treated at the National Isolation Centre (NIC) in Tutong.
Two patients remain in critical condition, where only one of them still requires heart / lung machine (ECMO) as well as respiratory assistance, and one case only requires respiratory assistance. Meanwhile, the rest are in a stable condition.
As of today, 108 individuals are undergoing quarantine according to the Infectious Diseases Act (Chapter 204) and a total of 2,575 have completed the quarantine period and are in good health.
Since the emergence of COVID-19 in early January 2020, a total of 16,523 laboratory tests for COVID-19 have been conducted.
Some restrictions in public and commercial areas will be de-escalated from May 16, with certain conditions, as part of a gradual plan to lift physical and social distancing measures, as the COVID-19 situation in Brunei is under control, according to the Minister of Health.
In the first phase, driving schools; gyms and fitness centres; indoor and outdoor sports facilities; golf courses; restaurants, cafés and food courts; stalls and markets will be allowed to re-open, but entries to most of these premises will be limited and controlled by the BruHealth App that is now downloadable for both iOS and Android users.
Explaining further on the de-escalation plan for eateries, cafes, food courts and stalls, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin, speaking on behalf of the Minister of Home Affairs said that the closure of the weekly tamunneka in Belait and Tutong and Ramadhan Bazaars will still be in effect.
Apart from using the BruHealth app, he also informed that restaurants are not allowed to offer buffet dining at this juncture, and must check the body temperatures of their customers before they enter the premises.day in the last week.
The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports speaking at the daily COVID-19 press conference held at Al-‘Afiah Hall of the Ministry of Health today. (Photo: Bahiyah Bakir)
Despite the easing of restrictions, the Minister of Health reminded that the public is required to comply with all regulations and directives related to the reduction of social distancing measures. “Any individual found to be in violation of or disobey any order issued shall be an offense under the Infectious Diseases Act (Section 204) which carries a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment up to 6 months or both. The Ministry will not hesitate to take legal action against anyone who does not comply with the directives issued,” he stressed.
For businesses to resume the re-opening of their premises to the public, such as restaurants who wish to serve dine-in customers, they can go to healthinfo.gov.bn/register to make their applications, the Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew Abdullah said today.
The Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II speaking at the daily COVID-19 press conference held at Al-‘Afiah Hall of the Ministry of Health today. (Photo: BAHIYAH BAKIR)
Following their application, business owners will be given a BruHealth QR code for their premises, that must be scanned by customers before entering and exiting the premises.
The app will ensure that business owners comply with the quota imposed by the MoH, which is 30 per cent of their normal capacity at one time.
Before entering business premises, BruHealth users will be given an ‘event code’ that will determine if the use is allowed or denied entry to the premise.
The Minister of Transport and Info-communications Dato Seri Setia Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Hj Mohammad Yusof announced that all driving schools in the country will re-open starting May 16 with only 30 per cent of their normal capacities at one time, while also observing physical distancing measures and temperature checks.
The Minister of Transport and Info-communications speaking at the daily COVID-19 press conference held at Al-‘Afiah Hall of the Ministry of Health today. (Photo: BAHIYAH BAKIR)
Get more details and follow more news updates on Friday’s Borneo Bulletin
For more COVID-19 updates in Brunei, follow live updates on Borneo Bulletin’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages
For advice on COVID-19, call the Health Advice Line at 148 or visit the Ministry of Health’s website or go to www.healthinfo.gov.bn
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