Aidilfitri visits only on first day in MCO areas

He said the number of visitors would be capped at 15 at any one time, based on the size of the house and with physical distancing. Hari Raya is expected to fall on May 13.

For areas under the Conditional MCO (CMCO) and Recovery MCO (RMCO), visits would be allowed on the first three days of Aidilfitri, he said.

“For CMCO areas, the number of guests is limited to 20 at any one time, based on the size of the house and with physical distancing, while for RMCO areas, not more than 25 guests are allowed at any one time,” he told a press conference here today.

However, households in Enhanced MCO (EMCO) areas are not allowed to receive any visitors, he added.

To contain the spread of COVID-19, he said, households accepting visitors are encouraged to provide temperature scanners, the MySejahtera QR code or provide a log book to record the names and telephone numbers of visitors.

He also said the government allowed "takbir raya" at mosques and suraus in MCO, CMCO and RMCO areas according to the conditions set by state religious authorities but such activities are not allowed in EMCO areas.

Ismail Sabri said Hari Raya prayers are allowed to be held at mosques and suraus in MCO, CMCO and RMCO areas, with the attendance size and participation of men, women and children according to the requirements set by the state religious authorities, but the prayers would not be allowed in EMCO areas.

Apart from this, feasts after Aidilfitri prayers at mosques and suraus, open houses, and visiting of graves would not be allowed in MCO and EMCO areas, he added.

“For CMCO and RMCO areas, feasts after Hari Raya prayers at mosques and suraus are allowed, subject to conditions set by state religious authorities,” he said, adding that mosque and surau committees are encouraged to provide packed food for congregants to take home.

He said visiting of graves is allowed in CMCO and RMCO areas but limited to six people per plot for not more than 30 minutes, but such visits are not allowed in MCO and EMCO areas.

No Hari Raya ceremonies or open houses are allowed to be held in all areas under MCO, CMCO, RMCO and EMCO, he added.

Ismail Sabri reiterated that interstate travel is still banned except for those travelling with police permission for essential services, and on emergency or compassionate grounds.

"Police are empowered to arrest people who violate the interstate travel ban … I believe only those with letters of consent can make interstate travel.

"I was told that sometimes there were issues on veracity of information provided which caused interstate travel applications to be rejected,” he said, adding that police received 40,000 applications every weekend.

However, parents fetching their children home from hostels and individuals going for vaccination are allowed to cross state borders, and the details on the standard operating procedure would be announced in due course, he said.