Safe fun at 100-Day Aspirasi Keluarga Malaysia event
National Security Council D-G reminds visitors and organisers to follow stringent S.O.P. to protect themselves from Covid-19
THERE is no reason for the public to be alarmed with Covid-19 if everyone continues to comply with the standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the government.
National Security Council director-general Datuk Rodzi Md Saad said this also applied to social events such as the 100-Day Aspirasi Keluarga Malaysia (AKM) to be held from tomorrow until Sunday.
He said the lackadaisical attitude among the people contributed to the spread of Covid-19 virus when they failed to adhere to the SOP, which included wearing face masks, as well as maintaining physical distancing and good personal hygiene.
He said the government had prepared a stringent SOP for the upcoming (AKM programme, which will be held from Dec 9 to 12.
“Most important is how visitors and organisers will play their roles and be responsible for ensuring SOP compliance at the highest level.“We are aware of the concerns raised by the public, especially with the spread of the Variant of Concern (VoC), Omicron. However, we are confident of preventing the spread of the virus if the SOP is adhered to,” he told reporters in an interview.
The four-day programme will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob expected to launch it tomorrow.
Among the activities lined up are a career carnival, cultural performance, arts appreciation night, entrepreneurship sales, traditional sports, gallery showcasing ministries’ achievements and aid programmes.
Rodzi said the number of Covid19 infections had recently seen a drop, and it could be achieved through, among others, SOP compliance as emphasised by the government.
“Without the SOP, it will be difficult to bring the Covid-19 cases to below 3,000.
“Public awareness is there, they know what to do. However, sometimes, people tend to take (the SOP) for granted and assume that they will not be victims of Covid-19.”
He reminded the public that the virus did not discriminate and that anyone could be infected if they let their guard down.
He also called on everyone to comply with the SOP when participating in any programme.
“If we protect ourselves well enough, we will be able to curb the spread of Covid-19.”
He said the NSC was also prepared for any eventualities during the programme, including immediate intervention should a Covid19 positive case be detected there.
This includes sanitisation process by the organiser, apart from health experts, police and armed forces personnel who would be monitoring the event and take appropriate steps if necessary.
He said children aged below 12 would be allowed to attend the programme, but they must be accompanied by their parents with the condition that the latter were fully vaccinated.
“Fully vaccinated children aged 13 and above are also allowed to attend the programme.”
He said the event would be limited to 10,350 people, about half of the convention centre’s capacity.
For instance, only a maximum of 2,000 visitors would be allowed to be on the first floor (Career Carnival) at any given time, despite its full capacity to accommodate up to 6,000 people.
He said the entry and exit points would be heavily guarded to ensure that the number of people in the area did not exceed the set limit.
“Level 3 has the full capacity of 2,000 people, but we only allow 750 people to be there at any one time.
“We want to ensure the main condition for the National Recovery Plan’s SOP, that is physical distancing, is adhered to.”
He said activities would be held until 10pm daily throughout the period. He also advised those who intended to attend the programme to make prior planning before going for it.
“If there are too many people, please avoid the place and come again another day.”