The Malaysian Insight

THREE out of 1,063 Ramadan bazaars nationwide have been shut down for not complying with the Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP), said Zuraida Kamaruddin.

She also said there has been improvement in SOP compliances despite early day teething problems. 

“During the first few days of Ramadan bazaars, the vendors were not very aware of the SOP but now I am happy to say they are managing it much better,” the housing and local government minister said. 

The government had allowed for Ramadan bazaars to operate despite most of the states in the country being under the conditional movement-control order. 

Zuraida, speaking to reporters at the sidelines of a Bersatu event in Kuala Lumpur, said operators of the suspended Ramadan bazaars can appeal to the ministry once they have improved their SOP. 

These bazaars fall under the jurisdiction of local councils, which are under the ministry. 

Last week, Health Minister Dr Adham Baba said the bazaars will be closed if there are clusters of Covid-19 infections arising from activities there. 

“If a bazaar cluster exists, the ministry will conduct an investigation through the MySejahtera application record to get the exact cause. 

“It is easy for us to trace the cause or the starting point of the infection. If the organisers are not responsible, we will not hesitate to impose a compound,” he said.

Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 2,875 new Covid-19 cases, taking the national caseload to 384,688. 

It was the eighth consecutive day daily infections crossed the 2,000 mark. 

The number of daily cases has remained in four digits and risen in the past week, despite the nation being under an emergency for 100 days since January 12, implemented with the aim of curbing the spread of the virus. – April 23, 2021.