Advisable for former COVID-19 patients to have no raya visitors

This followed advice by Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah that individuals who recovered and are discharged from hospitals after testing negative for Covid-19 should quarantine themselves for 14 days.

As of yesterday, the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Malaysia stands at 6,941, with 5,615 of them or 80.9 per cent, having recovered and discharged from hospitals.

With Aidilfitri to be celebrated in five days, Dr Noor Hisham advised the public to continue to comply with the Health Ministry's standard operating procedures (SOP) to maintain the double digit in daily COVID-19 cases which the country has managed to achieve with the implementation of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) since May 4.

The Muslim community is also advised to celebrate Aidilfitri out of the norm this time by avoiding visits to the cemetery and people's homes to break the chain of the COVID-19 infection.

"(And) the best way is by having closed-door Hari Raya celebrations with our immediate family and to limit visiting others, or, if possible just don't," he said.

Based on a survey conducted by the National Security Council (NSC), it was revealed that 74 per cent of the respondents want to celebrate the festive occasion with family members in the same household and this received the thumbs up from Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

"If this is the trend, that 74 per cent of respondents agreed to celebrate Hari Raya only with immediate family members from the same house, we need not worry about the number of people getting exposed to COVID-19 infection and the emergence of a 'balik kampung' cluster," he said.

He also advised the public to give their true names and correct telephone numbers in the record book before entering business premises to facilitate authorities to locate them in the event a COVID-19 positive case is detected at the premises concerned.

The government has required certain measures be taken to ensure the safety of all quarters, so as concerned citizens, we should not burden the frontliners by being selfish and not adhering to the stipulated SOP.