PUTRAJAYA, Sept 15 — The temporary relief centres (PPS) for flood victims will now operate at full capacity, with the wearing of face masks will not be made mandatory but recommended, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).

Nadma deputy director-general (operations) Meor Ismail Meor Akim said these were among the decisions made by the agency in its preparations for the north-east monsoon (MTL) 2022/2023 season, which is expected to begin in November and last till March 2023.

He said gotong-royong cooking activities would also be allowed at the PPS to enable the victims to get good and freshly-cooked meals.

"As for the use of face masks, we encourage those who are at the PPS to wear them to prevent the spread of Covid -19 but it will not be made mandatory,” he said during the Disaster Management Committee Secretariat and Technical Agencies-Media programme at SMART headquarters in Pulau Meranti near here today.

When the pandemic first hit the country, the capacity of PPS was limited depending on the size of the area so as to avoid congestion, while all gotong-royong cooking activities were prohibited and only prepacked food was distributed to the victims.

On September 7, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that the wearing of face masks inside the building is now up to the individual, however, premises owners could still determine whether visitors were required to wear one.

The north-east monsoon season will bring continued heavy rains that will lead to major flooding, especially in the east coast states.

Heavy rains are expected in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang from November to December 2022 while Johor, Sabah and Sarawak will face the monsoon from December 2022 to January 2023.

Meanwhile, Social Welfare Department (JKM) deputy director-general (operations) Wan Noraidah Wan Mohd Zain said ready-to-eat food which were packed using retort technology will be delivered to flood victims in PPS.

"These retort food pouches are easy to store in the depot and flood victims will be able to get their supplies within 24 hours. They just have to immerse the pouch in boiling water for a few minutes before consuming it,” she said. — Bernama