Brothels here have closed, with almost none of the city’s residents venturing out for fear of infection, and sex workers have been forced to look for other jobs, says the Sarawak AIDS Concern Society.

The society’s president, Yuwana Podin, said some sex workers have taken up employment in other trades, while others have returned to their villages.

She said in one area of the city, some 18 female sex workers have had no income from their regular trade since the start of the pandemic.

“Four of them managed to get jobs while the rest went back to their villages,” she told FMT.

“As an organisation that is taking the non-judgmental stand, we shall refrain from saying whether it is good or bad that there are fewer people soliciting sex. However, the pandemic does lead the sex workers to exploring other means of making a living while some remain jobless,” she said.

She said a similar situation also happened at brothels in other areas in the state although she does not have the exact figure or data.

The society itself has recorded a 50% drop in the numbers of clients since March.

Yuwana said they had two teams serving the community with each team responsible to reach out to clients from the affected population while another team provides care and support for clients or people living with HIV.

A halfway house “Teratak Kasih Tok Nan” is provided for clients who need a temporary place to stay when doing their follow-up treatment at Sarawak General Hospital.

She said the organisation needs funds to provide protective gear for the outreach workers, and food aid for clients.