KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — With less than a month before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah stressed on the importance of continuing the current procedures and guidelines against Covid-19.

He said if Malaysians wish for the Ramadan bazaar to continue amid the pandemic, guidelines in crowded places such as social distancing of up to one metre and good hand hygiene must be practiced.

"We need to practise the current standard operating procedures and guidelines.

"More importantly is to take all precautionary measured to break the chain of Covid-19 infections,” said Dr Noor Hisham in a press conference in Putrajaya.

On Friday, Melaka said it will not allow Ramadan bazaars to operate this year due to the Covid-19 situation. Negri Sembilan has already announced that there will be no such bazaars this year in the state, while Penang is currently deliberating on the matter.

Earlier, Dr Noor Hisham said it is still too early to make any conclusions about whether the movement control order (MCO) needs to be extended until Ramadan which begins on April 24.

"We will only know after the first week of April to see how we have done.

"If we can continue to flatten the curve and there is no exponential increase, then I think we can safely make a decision by then,” said Dr Noor Hisham with regards to the MCO’s status which began on March 18 and has been extended until April 14.