Not taking any chances
But homes in non-eMCO areas can receive guests
A restrained Hari Raya celebration is seen as a vital step to curb Covid-19 transmissions, alongside Putrajaya’s decision to impose movement control order (MCO) on six districts in Selangor from May 6-17.
PUTRAJAYA: Hosting open house will not be allowed again for the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration but households can receive guests during the festivity with the exception of those in the enhanced movement control order areas.
If last year’s Hari Raya celebration only allowed for a day of celebration, this year different conditions are set for different areas of MCO.
Announcing the much-anticipated Hari Raya standard operating procedure, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said interstate travel and open houses remain prohibited as Muslims celebrate the festivity amid the pandemic for the second year.
Those living in recovery and conditional MCO are allowed to receive visits from the first to the third day of Syawal, while those in MCO localities can only receive guests on the first day of Hari Raya.
Those in enhanced MCO areas are not allowed to receive guests and are to celebrate Hari Raya only with those in the same household.
This means they are also not allowed to leave their home for Hari Raya visits, explained Ismail Sabri.
“The number of guests allowed in the house also differs from one area to another as we want to ensure that SOP, especially so that social distancing is adhered to, to ensure there will be no overcrowding,” he told a media conference yesterday.
Hari Raya Aidilfitri is expected to fall on May 13.
For those under MCO, not more than 15 guests are allowed in the house at one time, taking into consideration the size of the premises, and with social distancing in place.
Those under conditional MCO and recovery MCO can entertain 20 guests and 25 guests respectively at one time, also depending on the size of the house and with social distancing.
“To ensure Covid-19 infectivity is under control, hosts are encouraged to prepare temperature scanners, MySejahtera QR code or have a book ready to take down names and contact details of their guests.
“However, events and Hari Raya open house are prohibited in all areas,” said Ismail Sabri.
Visits to graves are only allowed in conditional and recovery MCO areas, with not more than six persons per grave lot and for no longer than 30 minutes.
In MCO and enhanced MCO areas, visits to the graves are not allowed.
While Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayers cannot be held last year, this year it will be allowed in MCO, conditional and recovery MCO areas, with state religious authorities to decide on the number or congregations and other SOP.
Ismail Sabri said to strengthen the Hotspot Identification by Dynamic Engagement (HIDE) system, the government had decided to make it mandatory for public areas, business premises, offices, mosques and places of worship to use the MySejahtera application.
“Those entering these premises must register via MySejahtera. However, exceptions are given to premises in areas without Internet connectivity, especially those in rural areas and villages,” he said.
Ismail Sabri also announced that travel between recovery MCO states under the domestic travel bubble concept had been suspended in view of rising Covid-19 cases.
He said the National Security Council special meeting had reviewed the current Covid-19 situation in the country and agreed to suspend this.
“We have suspended travel for tourism from one recovery MCO state to another. We will announce when the suspension will be lifted at a later date,” he said.
He explained that while travelling between recovery MCO states for tourism were suspended, those living in such areas could continue to enjoy tourism activities in their own state.