KUALA LUMPUR:Business premises related to fishing activities, like fishing ponds, houseboats, fishing platforms, raft houses and fishing boats, will be allowed to resume operation beginning tomorrow with strict standard operating procedures (SOP) during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period.

Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government had also agreed to allow driving institutes, flight training centres, gymnasiums, badminton halls and golf courses to resume operation.

“The government had previously permitted fishing activities for the purpose of earning a living under the fisheries sector. But we received many appeals from operators of fishing ponds, houseboats and fishing boats, who had lost their sources of income,” he said at the media conference on the MCO today.

He said the opening of all these sectors was decided after a risk evaluation was carried out with various agencies in the MCO Technical Committee.

He said that the Youth and Sports Ministry also submitted applications for the resumption of other individual and non-contact sports activities.

“After carrying out the risk evaluation, the government agreed to allow jogging, brisk walking, cycling and exercises which are limited to two people to be carried out in their neighbourhoods only as well as tennis, badminton and table-tennis (singles events only) and motor-racing (two-wheel and four-wheel).

“In addition, other activities permitted are individual training for group sports like football, basketball, hockey and sepak takraw,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said the use of sports and recreational facilities, such as tennis and badminton courts, gymnasiums and motor-racing circuits, must be scheduled and by appointment only, while walk-ins are not allowed so as to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Ismail Sabri said that golf, gymnasium, badminton, tennis and table-tennis activities are subject to standard operating procedures (SOP), among them physical distancing in gymnasiums, number of individuals in the premises according to existing capacity and proper distancing in equipment arrangements.

He said further details regarding the SOP could be obtained at the National Security Council (MKN) website.

--BERNAMA