KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — Chinese New Year celebrations including prayer ceremonies are only allowed to be held at home with family members, said Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said prayers at temples were also not allowed, except for five of the temple’s committee members and people were encouraged to perform the ceremony at their respective homes.
“This standard operating procedure (SOP) was complied with during Hari Raya Aidilfitri, as well as Deepavali. However, for Sarawak we leave it to the state government to decide because there is the movement control order (MCO), there is the conditional MCO (CMCO),” he told a press conference on the development of the MCO, today.
He said large dining events in conjunction with the festival were also limited to family members living in the same household, besides house-to-house visits, inter-district or interstate travel to visit family members and friends were also not allowed.
In addition, all CNY festival and cultural events such as lion dance, dragon dance, lantern parades and Chinese opera and stage performances, among others will not be allowed as well.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said the government had agreed to lift the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) at the Pekan Nenas Immigration Depot Detention Block and Quarters in Pontian, Johor today.
He said so far, the Health Ministry had screened 408 individuals, with 125 found positive for Covid-19.
“However, all positive cases being treated at the Covid-19 Quarantine and Low-Risk Treatment Centre (PKRC) will be discharged today, with no samples pending results.
Ismail Sabri said the police had detained 731 individuals yesterday for flouting the MCO standard operating procedure and of that number, 709 individuals were issued compounds, 19 were remanded and three were given bail.
In the meantime, he said 20 illegal immigrants and one tekong were arrested and 14 land vehicles confiscated in ‘Op Benteng’ yesterday.
— Bernama
