Interstate Travel This Hari Raya Health Ministry To Decide In May

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The Health Ministry will decide in May if interstate travel can be allowed for Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
The religious festival is scheduled to fall on May 12.
Asked during a press conference this evening, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the decision will be based on how the Covid-19 situation evolves over the next two months.
“The Health Ministry will advise the technical committee or the special National Security Council (NSC) conference whether to allow (interstate travel) or not.
“I have been made to understand that in May, if we all adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and if cases fall to 500, maybe then the ministry will make a risk assessment and advise us,” he said.
However, Ismail pointed out that interstate travel had previously been the cause of many infection clusters in previously Covid-19-free states like Sarawak and Kelantan.
“There were 32 balik kampung clusters involving interstate travel,” he added.
The NSC has loosened restrictions on a number of activities for this Ramadan.
Ramadan and Aidilfitri bazaars, as well as tarawih congregational prayers at mosques and surau, will be allowed subject to SOPs. 
Daily Covid-19 cases have been on a downtrend in recent weeks but continue to be in the four digits. This comes as more and more frontliners receive their vaccinations.
As of noon today, Malaysia registered 1,213 new infections and three deaths.
Trialling sport spectators
Meanwhile, Ismail said the NSC will use two Malaysia Football League (Liga Malaysia) matches on April 1 to test out its latest SOPs for allowing spectators into stadiums.


The new SOPs stipulate that stadiums in conditional movement control order (MCO) areas can accommodate either 10 percent of its capacity or 2,000 spectators, whichever is less.
Stadiums in recovery MCO areas are allowed to accommodate either 25 percent of its capacity of 8,000 spectators, whichever is less.
Spectators must be monitored for physical distancing at all times.
Ticket sales must be online and only food stalls already existing at sporting venues are allowed to operate.
EMCO at Sitiawan factory
Ismail also announced an enhanced MCO on the YTY Factory and its workers’ quarters in Sitiawan, Perak after 60 cases were detected there.
The lockdown will begin tomorrow (March 19) and end on April 1.
The enhanced MCO previously imposed on the Henry Gurney correctional facility in Telok Mas, Malacca will be extended until April 2.
The lockdown there was supposed to end tomorrow but has been extended as the Health Ministry has yet to obtain results for 171 test samples. 
Thus far, 27 cases have been detected at the school.  - Mkini

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