Up to 15 family members allowed to gather for Chinese New Year reunion dinner - Halimah

PUTRAJAYA: Family reunion dinners on Chinese New Year's Eve (Feb 11) will be allowed with up to 15 immediate family members living within a 10-kilometre radius without crossing districts and states, according to the Ministry of National Unity (KPN).

Its minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique said the matter was agreed upon during the National Security Council (NSC) technical meeting today, chaired by Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The meeting also agreed that religious activities in temples were allowed on Feb 11, 12, and 19, 2021, subject to strict SOPs, including not having more than 30 people present at a time with physical distancing observed, while the duration of the prayer will be 30 minutes, with another 30 minutes set for sanitisation works between the sessions.

Prayers at the temples can be held from 6 am to 2 pm only, while the night prayer activity for the 'Hokkien Clan' on Feb 19, 2021, will be allowed to be held within the compounds of their respective homes.

Halimah said unity officers who had been appointed as monitoring officers under Section 3 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) would be monitoring compliance with the prescribed SOP.

She also urged the Chinese community in Malaysia to celebrate this year's festival under the new norms, maintain personal hygiene and observe physical distancing to help efforts in breaking the COVID-19 chain of infection.

-- BERNAMA