22 Ramadan bazaars nationwide ordered close for three days

The ministry, in a statement, said that the closure involved four Ramadan bazaars in Johor, Kedah (three), Penang (eight), two each in Pahang, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, and one in Perak.

It said that all the bazaars were identified as high-risk areas that could trigger the spread of COVID-19 infection, based on data collected in the report by Hotspot Identification by Dynamic Engagement (HIDE).

“The HIDE report has shown that the number of close contacts is high among visitors and traders at the Ramadan bazaars involved.

“As of April 15, a total of 904 COVID-19 positive cases were reported to have a history of visits or being infected by individuals who had visited the said Ramadan bazaars,” the statement read.

-HIDE, jointly developed by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and the Ministry of Health (MOH), aims to provide early warning in preventing an outbreak of COVID-19 infection by using data from the MySejahtera application.

The ministry also said that the closure was for sanitation purposes and to streamline standard operating procedures (SOPs) at the Ramadan bazaars.

In this regard, all state authorities (PBN) and local authorities (PBT) are advised to tighten the enforcement of SOP compliance in Ramadan bazaars, to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“Traders and visitors are also advised to always adhere to the SOPs set, to avoid the escalation of COVID-19 cases,” it said.