KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — Golfers can rejoice in the fact they will be allowed to play during movement control order (MCO) 3.0 in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur from today onwards.

The move comes after revised SOPs were released by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) and the National Security Council (NSC) yesterday that allow non-physical sports and recreational activities, so long as they are carried out in open areas and physical distancing of at least 1.5 metres is observed.

"Following the recent SOP by NSC and the announcement of KBS today, May 7, 2021, please be informed that golfing activities are permitted to resume provided that the updated Malaysian Golf Association’s (MGA) Mandatory Standard Operating Procedures (MSOP) are adhered to, effective May 8, 2021.

"Please be further reminded that any failure and/or non-compliance of the MSOP on your part may result in the imposition of hefty fines or closure of the golf club or driving ranges or both by the relevant enforcement agencies from MKN and the Ministry of Health (MoH).

"That being the case, MGA urges the management of all golf clubs and driving ranges to continue to strictly adhere to the MSOPs and those issued by MKN and MoH,” MGA president Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor said in a statement yesterday.

All the SOPs for golfing remain the same bar one.

Apart from the no-competitions rule, MGA is asking all clubs to shut their changing rooms. Previously, they were allowed to operate with a maximum of 30 per cent capacity at any given time.

No dining-in will be allowed and members should submit their scorecards virtually and not physically; same goes for payments.

The Sports Ministry announced via a Facebook post last night that this new ruling would come into effect today, adding that all activities would be subject to current movement control regulations.

It added that leeways for the sector will be further refined at the next NSC technical meeting.

Six districts in Selangor along with the whole of Kuala Lumpur will be under an MCO until May 17 and 18.

Yesterday, Malaysia registered 4,498 new Covid-19 cases and 22 deaths from the virus in the previous 24-hour period.