Programme attended by Zuraida was not a 'fun ride' cycling event - JLN

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Prihatin New Recreational Norms Programme, attended by Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin at the Bukit Kiara Federal Park here on Saturday was not a ‘Fun Ride’ cycling event as alleged by viral claims on social media.

The National Landscape Department (JLN), in a statement, explained that the programme was not open to the public and was not a competition with spectators, but involved only 30 cyclists from the department as well as those from Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp).

“The cyclists also conducted plogging activities consistent with the agency’s role in public cleanliness. In addition, the cyclists had their temperatures checked before entering the park.

“The event was to promote the new norms in cycling which always practise physical distancing, personal hygiene and not sharing equipment as well as ensuring safety throughout the session,” the statement read.

The department also said that the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO)'s standard operating procedure (SOP) was always complied with during the group activity, which was conducted locally without physical contact, and was limited to 50 per cent of the area’s capacity.

“There were also some exercise activities during the programme with physical distancing of three metres per individual to conduct recreational activities. The duration for gathering and exercising was also shortened to avoid the risk of infection,” the statement read.

JLN also explained that the Bukit Kiara Federal Park was an open area of over 400 acres (161.87 hectares) and all participants used sanitisers before the event began and wore face masks throughout the entire event.

Several photos of the event went viral Sunday, along with claims that Zuraida had violated the CMCO SOP during the event.

-- BERNAMA