The State Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said that Sarawak may impose restrictions on tourists or non-Sarawakians traveling to the state if local transmission of COVID-19 cases continues to increase.

Though the change will affect the tourism industry, he said that this is the only way to break the infection chain in the State.

"The number of cases (in COVID-19), without any warning, has increased significantly. This is not an external infection  but local. This shows how dangerous it is if we don't look after our movements, he said.

He said that the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) is monitoring closely the situation in the state, particularly in the districts of Kuching and Samarahan, which have seen a significant increase in cases over the past week.

Abdul Karim said that prior to the recent growth in tourist arrivals in Sarawak, hotels record 50 to 60 percent occupancy rates since June.

“We predict that tourist arrivals to the state would return to normal in September,” he added.